Alyssa

Thomas

Thomas had another balanced performance on Friday, impacting the game in several ways on the offensive end. The MVP finalist briefly left the contest late in the second quarter after colliding with the Aces’ Jewell Loyd when attempting to run through a screen. She eventually returned to begin the third quarter and helped the Mercury mount a spirited comeback attempt. Ultimately, Thomas’s production wasn’t enough, and her game-high nine turnovers were costly, accounting for half of Phoenix’s total turnovers. She finished her first postseason run with the Mercury, fittingly, having recorded a triple-double.

For the second straight game, Thomas dealt with foul trouble although she still played in all but one minute of Wednesday night’s game. She picked up three of her five personal fouls in the second half and as a result was less potent on both sides of the ball. She also had difficulty taking care of the ball, turning the ball over three times which resulted in two Aces scores. She was just one assist off from yet another triple-double and distributed to four teammates in DeWanna Bonner, Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally and Monique Akoa Makani. Thomas led her team rebounding the basketball picking up 12. She had two offensive boards, which moved her into a tie with league legend Lisa Leslie for eighth on the All-Time Playoffs offensive rebounds list with 127.

Thomas had a relatively quiet game on Sunday as the Mercury dropped their second game of the series. The do-it-all forward barely made it to double figures as a scorer, while tallying her fewest assists of the postseason and tying a postseason low in rebounds. Thomas battled foul trouble throughout much of the game, which arguably could’ve taken away from her aggressiveness. Nevertheless, the MVP finalist has not had a dominant performance through two games in the Finals matchup, and Phoenix will likely need one of her signature performances in Wednesday’s Game 3 if it wants to avoid falling behind by three games.

The MVP finalist had another impactful performance. Thomas, in her third Finals appearance, started the game off strong as a scorer before taking on more of a playmaking role up until the fourth quarter. Thomas scored six points in the frame but missed a pair of free throws down the stretch as the Mercury trailed by one point with just over 24 seconds remaining in regulation. Adding to a productive but imperfect night, she turned the ball over five times, which made up nearly half of her team’s total. Thomas still had a productive game overall and finished one assist shy of a triple-double. She’ll be counted on for more two-way production in Sunday’s Game 2.

Despite having a roster with only two holdovers from the 2024 season, the Mercury are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021. And Thomas, one of the many newcomers, has led the way. She finished the series clincher two rebounds shy of a triple-double, and the 23 points were the most she’s scored in a game this postseason. Due to a torn labrum in both of her shoulders, Thomas has not been able to offer much scoring in the mid-range or perimeter in recent seasons. But the overall skill set makes her one of the WNBA’s most valuable players despite lacking the ability to do much scoring away from the basket. Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is on Friday, with the Mercury facing Indiana or Las Vegas.

Thomas recorded her first 20-point game of the series on Friday, shooting efficiently from the floor in the process. The veteran forward was sitting on 19 points before a game-clinching steal and score gave Phoenix a comfortable six-point lead with 21.8 seconds to play, pushing her past the 20-point mark simultaneously. Thomas also tallied more than half of her team’s nine steals, set a new series-high in rebounds in Game 3, and made her usual contributions as a facilitator. She’ll have a chance to help the Mercury advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021 if they can put away the Lynx on Sunday.

Whitcomb proved to be super clutch for the Mercury in game two of the semifinals against the Lynx. After missing a three-pointer with 11.1 remaining in the fourth quarter and her team down 3 points, she got another try off an Alyssa Thomas offensive rebound. She hit her second attempt in seconds and tied the game up at 79 with just 4.3 seconds remaining in a game that eventually went to overtime. Besides during the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Whitcomb’s impact on the game came in the second, fourth and overtime periods. She had all of her points and five of her six assists during those three periods.

Thomas was two rebounds shy of yet another triple-double during semifinals game two against the Lynx. Her impact on the Mercury offense really took hold in the second half and the overtime period where she registered nine of her total 13 assists in the third and fourth quarters in addition to 13 of her total 19 points in the final three periods of the game including that final five minute overtime. Five of Satou Sabally’s nine made field goals came on Alyssa Thomas assists during the first and fourth quarters. The Lynx put Thomas to the line four times during the overtime period and she made 5-of-8 of her attempted free throws.

It appeared as though Thomas was on her way to another stellar performance on Sunday, having contributed 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the first half to give the Mercury a seven-point halftime lead. Yet, the MVP finalist scored only two points the rest of the way on 1-of-3 shooting, while going scoreless in a fourth quarter that the Mercury and Lynx entered even on the scoreboard. Thomas’ unspectacular finish left her final line less potent than it could have been. Still, she played a well-rounded game, and there’s no reason to believe she won’t stuff the stat sheet again in Tuesday’s Game 2.

In a must-win Game 3, Thomas rose to the occasion and put on a stellar performance in the series-ending win. The 2025 MVP finalist was aggressive on the offensive end, where she led the Mercury in shot attempts and finished as one of two Phoenix players to score at least 20 points. She collected a key rebound on the defensive end midway through the fourth quarter and then followed with an assist to Sami Whitcomb for a corner three-pointer to earn the fifth postseason triple-double of her career. Thomas and the Mercury will have little time to celebrate, however, as they move on to the second round for a Game 1 matchup with the Lynx on Sunday.