PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Mercury almost pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in WNBA Finals history on Wednesday night.
Instead, they’re staring at a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series, awaiting injury news about star player Satou Sabally and will try to stave off elimination when they host the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 on Friday.
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Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson made a turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining, capping a 34-point night and lifting the Aces over the Mercury 90-88 in Game 3. Wilson’s winner came after the Mercury fought back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Though proud of the comeback attempt, there’s also the sobering reality that the Mercury are in a really big hole.
“I don’t know how many teams have come back from 0-3. Not many, right?” coach Nate Tibbetts said. “So I’m not going to sugarcoat that. We’ve got a tough road ahead, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time.
“This group has been a group that continues to compete at a high level. We’re going to expect that in front of our fans. We’ve got a certain level of pride.”
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The Mercury certainly showed some pride on Wednesday, falling behind 21-8 in the first quarter after the Aces went on a 17-0 run. Phoenix responded with a 13-0 run of its own to tie the game — the opening act in a game that had big runs in each direction.
By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Aces looked like they had control with a 76-59 lead, but the Mercury closed the gap to 84-83 with 3:06 left on Kahleah Copper’s 3-pointer. DeWanna Bonner tied the game at 86-all on a 3-pointer with 1:33 left and made two free throws with 1:01 left to tie it at 88.
For a moment, it appeared the Mercury were about to pull off another stunning comeback. They came back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of the semifinals and a 13-point deficit in Game 4.
But Wilson is a four-time MVP for a reason. She took the entry pass in the final seconds and calmly made her turnaround jumper to bring the Aces within one win of their third championship in four seasons.
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Alyssa Thomas and Bonner were both pleased with the way the Mercury played in the fourth quarter, but also frustrated that they gave up 55 points in the first half that had them fighting from behind all night.
“I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing all playoffs, fighting our way back,” Bonner said. “I’m proud of the effort we had, but we can’t start that way, especially against them.”
Copper scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Bonner scored a team-high 25 points off the bench and Thomas was one assist short of a triple double, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Sabally had 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but it’s unclear if she’ll be available for Game 4. She left the game with 4:26 remaining in the fourth quarter after getting tangled with Aces guard Jackie Young and then falling into Kierstan Bell, hitting her head on the side of Bell’s leg.
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Sabally stayed on the ground for several minutes before being helped off the court. Tibbetts said he didn’t have any update on her injury after the game.
“We’re going to keep fighting,” Tibbetts said. “That’s what this group is all about.”
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