Mercury oust short-handed Lynx, reach Finals

PHOENIX -- Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points, DeWanna Bonner made 2 cardinal 3-pointers successful the 4th fourth and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point shortage successful the last play to bushed the short-handed Minnesota Lynx 86-81 successful Game 4 connected Sunday nighttime and beforehand to the WNBA Finals for the archetypal clip since 2021.

Phoenix volition look the Indiana-Las Vegas victor successful the title series. Indiana forced a Game 5 earlier Sunday with a 90-83 location victory.

The Mercury won the last 3 games of the best-of-five semifinal series. The top-seeded Lynx were playing without manager Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended for Game 4 due to the fact that of her behaviour and comments toward officials successful Game 3. Minnesota besides was without All-Star defender Napheesa Collier, who suffered an ankle wounded adjacent the extremity of the Game 3 loss.

The Mercury trailed 68-55 heading into the 4th fourth but pulled to 70-69 connected Sami Whitcomb's 3-pointer with 4:46 left. Bonner's 3-pointer pushed them up 72-70 and she deed different 3 with 2:03 near for a 77-73 lead.

Minnesota's Kayla McBride deed a 3-pointer -- her sixth of the 2nd fractional -- to chopped it to 77-76 with 1:04 left. The 38-year-old Bonner past made a brace of escaped throws to propulsion the Mercury up 79-76.

Bonner scored 11 points successful the 4th quarter. Satou Sabally scored 21 points.

Phoenix volition play successful the Finals for the archetypal clip successful 4 years and effort to triumph its archetypal title since 2014.

McBride led Minnesota with 31 points connected 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Courtney Williams added 20 points.

Phoenix's Kahleah Copper deed a 3-pointer aboriginal successful the 3rd 4th to springiness the Mercury their archetypal pb of the crippled astatine 41-38. But the Lynx responded with a 23-9 run, highlighted by a 3 3-pointers from McBride.

The Lynx jumped retired to an aboriginal 12-1 pb but the Mercury dilatory chipped mode astatine the deficit. Thomas deed Bonner for a layup conscionable earlier the halftime buzzer to necktie the crippled astatine 38.

Sabally led the Mercury with 18 points earlier the break.