PHOENIX — A’ja Wilson put in the work in the paint, getting bucket after bucket despite having multiple defenders draped all over her.
She got plenty of help from Dana Evans, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd when it came to covering the court. The trio made their trade outside the arc and started raining 3s early in the second quarter.
The Las Vegas Aces — once again — were an offensive force in the WNBA Finals, and they were well on their way to their third championship in four seasons. They finished off a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 victory Friday night, and their fourth-year head coach was doing anything but embellishing when she summed up her team afterward.
“These guys are elite,” Becky Hammon said.
Wilson had 31 points and nine rebounds, while Jackie Young joined Gray in adding 18 points apiece, and they were joined in double-digit points by Loyd (12) and Evans (10).
The second-seeded Aces, who closed the regular season on a 16-game winning streak to finish 30-14, overcame dropping a game in their best-of-three first-round series against the seventh-seeded Seattle Storm, then needed all five games to get past the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever in the semifinals.
And then, in the first WNBA Finals with a best-of-seven format, they made quick work of the fourth-seeded Mercury. It took the Aces one fewer game to secure this year’s title than it did for the New York Liberty to beat the Minnesota Lynx for the 2024 crown in a best-of-five series that went the distance.
Las Vegas scored 54 points in the first half Friday night and averaged more than 90 points per game in the series. Game 5 would have been Sunday in Las Vegas, but now the Aces can head there to make championship celebration plans instead.
The Aces joined the Houston Comets — who won the first four WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000 — as the only teams to win as many as three league titles in a four-year span.
Wilson came to the postgame news conference wearing giant ski goggles — her protection against the Champagne celebration in the locker room — and carrying a pink tambourine that she shook after answers she liked.
“This is a symbol of the joyfulness we have right now,” Wilson said with a grin. “I’m just so grateful to be with this bunch — and that’s not the alcohol talking.”
Wilson, who was the league’s regular-season MVP this year for the fourth time in her eight-year career, is now a WNBA Finals MVP for the second time, having also taken the honor in 2023.
The 6-foot-4 former South Carolina center led the way for the Aces, getting her points despite shooting just 7-of-21 from the field by making 17 of 19 free throws. Gray made four 3-pointers, including two in the fourth quarter to help turn back a final rally by the Mercury.
The Aces were presented the championship trophy by embattled WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. She was greeted with boos from the sizable contingent of Las Vegas fans who made the trip to Phoenix.
The Aces led 76-62 going into the fourth quarter, but the Mercury went on an 8-0 run that cut their deficit to 76-70 with 7:56 left. That was as close as the hosts would get.
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting, while Alyssa Thomas tallied a triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Mercury second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected in the third quarter after receiving two quick technical fouls from official Gina Cross. Tibbetts was arguing a foul call against Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani, and he reacted in disbelief as he was escorted off the court.
DeWanna Bonner and Copper also got called for technical fouls in the fourth quarter.
The Aces never trailed in the series clincher, building a 30-21 lead by the end of the first quarter on 55% shooting. Loyd, Gray and Evans made three straight 3s early in the second quarter to put Las Vegas ahead by 19, although the Aces had to settle for a 54-38 halftime advantage.
Wilson had 14 points before the break, while Gray notched 10.
Tibbetts said the Aces were a tough team to guard all series.
“Unbelievable team — they were just playing at an extremely high level,” Tibbetts said. “We put ourselves in position to have a chance in a couple games, but what a run they’ve been on. Hitting big shots after big shots.”
The Mercury were without forward Satou Sabally, their leading scorer in both the regular season and the playoffs, after she suffered a concussion near the end of Game 3 on Wednesday night. They took another blow on the injury front Friday, when Thomas had to leave just before halftime after taking a hard hit to her right shoulder on a screen from Loyd. Thomas returned for the second half but was hampered by the injury.
The Mercury impressed in the first year of a significant rebuild after losing veteran stars Diana Taurasi (to retirement) and Brittney Griner (to free agency), and while they enjoyed a deep playoff run under Tibbetts, they couldn’t find a way to slow down the Aces.
Phoenix made it to the title series after beating the fifth-seeded Liberty in the opening round and knocking off the top-seeded Lynx in the semifinals.
Phoenix lost in the WNBA Finals for the second time in five years, also falling to the Chicago Sky in 2021. The Mercury have won three championships, with the most recent one in 2014.