Mercury down Lynx in historic Game 2 comeback
Phoenix leveled the playing field, overcoming a 20-point deficit to tie up the WNBA semifinal series, plus Las Vegas bounces back and more news to know
Phoenix evens semifinal series with Game 2 comeback
The Mercury overcame a 20-point deficit to take Game 2 in Minnesota. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
No. 4 Phoenix went the distance last night, overcoming a 20-point deficit against No. 1 Minnesota to secure an 89-83 win in overtime — and send the WNBA semifinal series to Arizona tied at 1-1.
“Just pride, toughness, grit. I couldn’t be more proud of our group for doing that,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said postgame. “I’m fired up. Phoenix is going to be rocking on Friday and Sunday.”
Phoenix forward Satou Sabally led the team with 24 points, while guard Sami Whitcomb sunk the game-tying three-pointer that propelled the matchup into overtime. (Watch full highlights)
Big picture: After a dominant Game 1, Tuesday’s defeat marked the first time in Lynx franchise history that they lost a playoff game after holding a double-digit halftime lead — as well as the third-largest comeback in WNBA postseason history.
“Suddenly, we lost our way," said Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve. “We didn’t respond. Then when we needed to go get buckets and we had good opportunities, we weren’t strong enough.”
“I think we beat ourselves,” forward Napheesa Collier added. “Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us, just keeping our composure in those situations is huge.”
Up next: The Mercury now host the Lynx on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, live on ESPN2.
Las Vegas pulls level with Game 2 win over Indiana
The Aces evened the WNBA semifinal series with Tuesday’s blowout win over the Fever. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
No. 2 Las Vegas reclaimed their contender status last night, taking down No. 6 Indiana in a 90-68 blowout Game 2 victory to tie their WNBA semifinal series at 1-1.
2025 MVP A’ja Wilson fueled the Aces’ bounce-back performance with 25 points and nine rebounds, backed by 10 points apiece from reserves Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.
“I just think we came to work,” Wilson said after the win. “We didn’t come to work in Game 1, and that’s on all of us. I think Game 2, we just decided to come to work.” (Watch full highlights)
Getting physical: Physicality on the court — and the refs’ response to it — has played a major role in the series, with Las Vegas upping the intensity to keep the Fever at bay on Tuesday.
“It’s playoffs — very physical games,” said Aces forward NaLyssa Smith. “I feel like we’ve got to match the energy, day in and day out.”
“It’s hard for us to find flow when there’s a foul called every 10 seconds,” Indiana head coach Stephanie White lamented. “When they’re at the free throw line, we can’t get up and down the floor, and that’s a challenge.”
Up next: The Fever now host the Aces on Friday at 7:30 PM ET, live on ESPN2.
New York parts ways with coach Sandy Brondello
Sandy Brondello led the Liberty to the franchise’s first championship in 2024. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)
Less than a year after winning their first WNBA title, the New York Liberty have officially parted ways with head coach Sandy Brondello.
The move follows No. 5 New York’s first-round playoff exit, after the reigning champs fell to No. 4 Phoenix in Friday’s winner-take-all Game 3.
“Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-before-seen heights as the first head coach to lead the Liberty to a championship,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said in Tuesday’s statement. “We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter.”
After effects: The firing sent shockwaves across the WNBA, with many questioning the call after New York dealt with high-profile injury struggles throughout 2025.
“I didn’t love it for Sandy, I’m gonna have to be honest,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon told reporters. “She’s just won a championship, she’s won in other places, and I know her to be a quality coach and a quality person.”
“I am absolutely thrilled if I am Seattle, Toronto, and Portland that I was just gifted a championship level coach,” echoed Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve. “I think a lot of Sandy, personally and professionally.”
Turning tides: The league now lists just three head coaches with more than one season under their belts: Hammon, Reeve, and the Mercury’s Nate Tibbetts.
Report: Chicago & Dallas keep coaches despite losing seasons
The Dallas Wings will reportedly keep coach Chris Koclanes on staff next season. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Despite finishing at the bottom of the WNBA standings, No. 12 Chicago and No. 13 Dallas will not be moving on from their current head coaches, Front Office Sports reported this week.
Dallas’s Chris Koclanes and Chicago’s Tyler Marsh led their sides to identical 10-34 records in their first year at the helm — the worst in the league.
In contrast, 2025 playoff participants Seattle and New York are already making aggressive coaching changes after first-round postseason exits.
Player backing: While some fans criticized the presumed decision, Sky and Wings stars spoke out in support of their managers.
“Obviously the season didn’t go how we expected, but being able to have a coach like Tyler, it was amazing through the ups and downs,” Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso told reporters. “He always showed up every day with the same energy, no matter what the record was.”
“The team embodies the attitude of your leader,” echoed Dallas guard Paige Bueckers. “And for [Koclanes] to show up every single day at work and pour into all of us… it means a lot to us as a team.”
Athletes Unlimited stacks offseason roster with WNBA stars
Connecticut Sun rookie Aneesah Morrow (R) will join AU Basketball this offseason. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the WNBA playoffs in full swing, many big-name players are shifting focus to the winter, putting offseason leagues like 3×3 upstart Unrivaled and 5×5 Athletes Unlimited back in the spotlight.
Connecticut rookie Aneesah Morrow officially signed with AU Pro Basketball this week, joining veteran teammate Tina Charles, Las Vegas standout NaLyssa Smith, and fellow first-years in Golden State’s Kaitlyn Chen and Atlanta’s Te-Hina PaoPao, among others. (See full roster)
Big picture: Tipping off its fifth season in February 2026, the month-long Nashville-based competition features rotating teams and individual leaderboards, offering an alternative to overseas play and Unrivaled’s 3×3 format.
“It’s player-driven,” Charles said in her own AU signing announcement earlier this month. “I think that’s really neat, you know, something that I’ve never been a part of, nor have I seen on men’s or women’s side.”
Stay tuned: AU Pro Basketball runs February 5th through March 2nd, airing live across several different broadcasters.
Atlanta GM wins 3rd WNBA Executive of the Year award
Atlanta’s Dan Padover brought in key signings like Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Atlanta Dream GM Dan Padover made history this week, winning a record third WNBA Executive of the Year award after his revamped roster doubled the team’s 2024 regular-season win total.
Having received the honor with Las Vegas in 2020 and 2021, the fourth-year Dream GM was instrumental in signing game-changers like center Brittney Griner and forward Brionna Jones, while also bringing in fresh coaching talent in 2025’s winningest first-year head coach Karl Smesko.
“The organization as a whole, it’s in a great direction,” Atlanta guard Allisha Gray said after the Dream's first-round playoff exit. “We proved a lot of people wrong this year.”
Big boost: The Dream finished the season in third place, jumping from 12th to second in offensive rating (108.2), sixth to second in defensive rating (98.9), and 12th to third in assists per game (21.4) year-over-year. (See full stats)
Quote of the day
“Side ponytails.”
Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman
describing what haunts her in this week’s Interview Magazine feature.