The Phoenix Mercury will look to get into the win column when they host the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday night. The Mercury, trailing the best-of-seven WNBA Finals 2-0, will need more from their star players. They’ll also hope that the Aces’ two biggest stars — A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young — don’t replicate their magic from Game 2.
How the Phoenix Mercury can beat the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3
The Mercury will need more from Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas — and a much better response to A’ja Wilson.
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Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Here are three keys to Wednesday’s Game 3 match-up:
Limiting A’ja Wilson: It’s easier said than done, but the Mercury are going to have to make life a little bit more difficult for the four-time MVP. Wilson exploded for 20 first-half points in Game 2 and finished with 28 points on the night. Had Jackie Young not taken the reins in the third quarter, Wilson probably would have tallied many more. Several Phoenix players have attempted to slow down the Aces star, but no one has had much luck. Minimizing easy looks — like transition layups and simple shots around the rim — is key.
Getting Satou Sabally going early: Sabally really struggled for most of Game 2, settling for contested threes and difficult shots. Her final stat line — 22 points on 7-19 shooting — doesn’t reflect just how much she struggled offensively for much of Sunday. When Sabally is on, she’s as difficult to contain as any player in the league. The challenge will be to get her clean looks within the flow of the offense, which the Mercury weren’t able to do in Game 2. Sabally has been the Mercury’s leading scorer these playoffs, averaging 18.4 points per night. But, she’s also been maddeningly inconsistent, shooting 38.3% from the field and posting several abysmal shooting games.
Playing through Alyssa Thomas: Alyssa Thomas is known as “The Engine” and for good reason — she anchors the Mercury on both ends of the floor, leads the team in assists and rebounds, and is the primary reason why the Mercury are where they are. In Game 2, however, she took a backseat offensively, posting just 10 points and 5 assists. Thomas doesn’t necessarily need to shoot more, but she does need to have the ball in her hands more. These playoffs, the MVP finalist has been averaging 17.2 points and 8.7 assists, and Sunday’s numbers were a substantial drop from that.
The Mercury will also hope that their home crowd uplifts them. During the season, Phoenix was 12-7 at home, vs 12-10 on the road. In these playoffs, the Mercury are a perfect 3-0 at home — with wins over the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx — but only 2-4 on the road.
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