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Tag: WNBA basketball

  • WNBA’s latest CBA proposal would put max salary over $1.1M with revenue sharing, AP source says

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    NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA’s latest collective bargaining proposal would include revenue sharing with a maximum salary of more than $1.1 million available to more than one player per team growing each year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations on Tuesday night.

    WNBA officials updated the board on the latest proposal at meetings this week, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because ongoing negotiations are private. The new league minimum would be more than $220,000 with an average of more than $460,000.

    Those numbers would start in the first year of the deal for more than 180 players and increase over the length of the CBA.

    People familiar with the WNBA’s latest proposal described the plan to the AP as a highly lucrative package providing substantial increases over prior years and designed to bring negotiations to a quick conclusion.

    The current CBA was set to expire Oct. 31 when the WNBA and the players union agreed to continue negotiations to Nov. 30, allowing more time to negotiate a deal that would be revolutionary for the players in terms of salary.

    The players exercised their right to opt out of the current CBA last year with hopes of getting, among other things, increased revenue sharing, higher salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap. When the last CBA expired in 2019, both sides agreed to a 60-day extension with a CBA eventually ratified in January 2020.

    WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was hopeful before the 2025 All-Star Game that everyone would be talking about how great the next CBA would be at the 2026 All-Star Game.

    “I’m still really optimistic that we’ll get something done that would be transformational,” Engelbert said in July.

    ___ AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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  • WNBA star Alyssa Thomas joins new Project B league, promising higher salaries and global competition

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    WNBA MVP finalist Alyssa Thomas on Tuesday became the second player to join Project B, the new women’s basketball league that is expected to begin in Europe and Asia in November 2026.

    The Phoenix Mercury star announced her decision on social media a week after Nneka Ogwumike told The Associated Press that she also would play in the new league offering players high salaries and an equity stake.

    “Alyssa is the kind of player and person you build around,” Project B’s chief basketball officer, Alana Beard, told the AP. “Her leadership, competitiveness and professionalism elevate everyone around her. As one of the most respected players in the world, she represents the new era of player partnership and global competition that Project B stands for.”

    Thomas led the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA Finals this past season before the team lost to the Las Vegas Aces in four games. The 6-foot-2 forward spent her first 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, twice leading them to the WNBA Finals while earning five All-Star nods.

    The 33-year-old has spent previous offseasons playing overseas before joining Unrivaled for its inaugural season last year. Thomas will be back this January in the 3-on-3 league that also features many top WNBA players. Project B and Unrivaled will have overlapping dates going forward.

    “We’re confident with what we’ve built in collaboration with our athletes, partners and investors,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement. “We remain consistent in our approach to pay players competitively, provide a meaningful stake in the business and keep them home year-round.”

    Project B will have 66 players divided into six teams. Each player will receive a larger salary than those currently offered by the WNBA. They also are expected to be higher than those at Unrivaled.

    While the financial specifics haven’t been disclosed, the potential of more lucrative compensation comes at an important moment for women’s professional basketball. As interest in the sport has soared in recent years, the WNBA and players union are locked in tense negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, with much of the dispute centered on salary and revenue sharing.

    Project B plans to play the inaugural season through April 2027. That would not interfere with the typical WNBA calendar.

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  • WNBA draft lottery set for Nov. 23 with Dallas Wings having best odds

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    The WNBA will hold its annual draft lottery on Nov. 23 with Dallas having the best chance to win it for the second consecutive season.

    The Wings, who drafted Paige Bueckers No. 1 last year, have a 42% chance to secure the top pick again. Dallas introduced its new coach Jose Fernandez, longtime head of South Florida, on Thursday.

    The WNBA is currently negotiating with the players’ union for a new collective bargaining agreement. The two sides agreed to extend a Oct. 31 deadline to Nov. 30. Assuming a new CBA can get negotiated, the draft is normally held in April.

    Minnesota, which possesses the Chicago Sky’s first-round pick after a previous trade, has a 26% chance at getting the No. 1 choice. The Lynx had the best regular-season record in the WNBA before losing to the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals of the playoffs.

    Seattle owns the Los Angeles Sparks’ top pick and has a 16.7% chance of winning the lottery. Washington has just under a 10% opportunity and the Sky, after owning the Connecticut Sun’s first-round choice, have a 5.5% chance.

    The lottery will be shown on ESPN for the 14th straight year with Bethany Donaphin, WNBA head of league operations, revealing the results. Lottery odds are based on the two-year cumulative results of the five teams that didn’t make the postseason this past year.

    With the worst record, the Wings are guaranteed no worse than the No. 3 pick.

    While there’s no clearcut No. 1 pick in the draft like Bueckers last season, there’s a host of draft-eligible players in college including UCLA’s Lauren Betts, UConn’s Azzi Fudd, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and TCU’s Olivia Miles.

    The league is expanding to 15 teams this season with the addition of the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Details of the expansion draft for those two new franchises hasn’t been announced yet.

    In the past, the expansion teams would pick after the lottery teams.

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  • Aces celebrate third WNBA championship in 4 years with parade on Las Vegas Boulevard

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    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Eight years to the day the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors confirmed the relocation of the San Antonio Stars to Las Vegas, the Aces celebrated their third championship in four years with a parade down the famed Strip on Friday night.

    “We’re back!” exclaimed owner Mark Davis, donning a white satin team jacket on stage at the Toshiba Plaza outside T-Mobile Arena. “Las Vegas, we are world champions.”

    Led by a group of classic low-rider automobiles showing off their hydraulics, five double-deck buses traveled from Tropicana Boulevard down Las Vegas Boulevard, the last one carrying the Aces, who threw streamers and confetti to thousands of fans who began arriving four hours before the start of the parade and lined the road that’s been known for some of the world’s greatest headliners dating to the 1960s Rat Pack era.

    On this night, there were no bigger stars than the Aces, who overcame a 14-14 start to the season and a pair of rugged playoff series before sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals.

    Leti Poblete and her husband, Dion, watched the Aces’ first two championship parades in 2022 and 2023 on television. They weren’t about to miss a chance at attending the third.

    “So glad we did,” Leti Poblete said. “It was an amazing experience. It was exciting to be with the rest of the Aces fans, and it was awesome to see the players up close and on top of their bus! I even caught their 2025 WNBA Championship souvenir towels.

    “We are really proud of these awesome basketball players and incredible women. This basketball dynasty represents Las Vegas well.”

    From kids to senior citizens to political dignitaries, Toshiba Plaza was packed for a fourth professional championship since 2022, the Aces winning three and the NHL’s Golden Knights winning the Stanley Cup in 2023.

    “We should do it again next year,” said coach Becky Hammon, who wore her signature hoodie blazer, this one with “GRATITUDE” emblazoned in gold across the back.

    Hammon, who just completed her fourth season with the Aces, said this year’s squad was her easiest to coach.

    “They came in and worked their tails off, no matter the circumstances,” she said. “This is one of the most resilient, high-character groups.”

    After losing several key pieces to the core of their previous championship rosters, the Aces welcomed many new faces and needed nearly three months to jell before reeling off 16 straight wins to end the regular season and earn the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

    “This is a special, special group; we prayed together and were popping Campagne together,” said four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, who became emotional when speaking about Hammon’s dedication toward each player. “She believed in us when no one did. We go nowhere without Becky Hammon.”

    Admitting she wanted to keep her speech short to avoid becoming emotional, midseason acquisition NaLyssa Smith looked at her teammates on the stage and said, “Y’all changed my life.”

    Jackie Young, who’s been a part of the team for all three championships and is always known to keep her commentary short and sweet, was exactly that when it was her turn to speak.

    “Just know, we not done yet,” Young said with a mic drop.

    The celebration ended with confetti and fireworks littering the sky while Queen’s “We Are The Champions” blared through the sound system.

    Musical acts Crime Mob, Ludacris and Mya performed live.

    “Now this, is a parade,” said first-year Ace and three-time WNBA champion Jewell Loyd. “I been to some other ones, but this one? This one hits a little different.”

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    AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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  • Aces win third WNBA title in 4 seasons, beating Mercury 97-86 for 4-game sweep

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    PHOENIX — PHOENIX (AP) — A’ja Wilson put in work in the paint, getting bucket after bucket despite multiple defenders draped all over her.

    She got plenty of help from Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans. The trio 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 on Friday night.

    “These guys are elite,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.

    Wilson had 31 points and nine rebounds while Gray and Jackie Young each scored 18 points. Five players scored in double figures.

    The Aces made quick work of the league’s first best-of-seven finals. They scored 54 points in the first half and averaged more than 90 points per game in the series.

    Wilson came to the postgame news conference wearing giant ski goggles from a Champagne celebration in the locker room and carrying a pink tambourine, shaking it after answers she liked.

    “This is a symbol of the joyfulness we have right now,” Wilson said, grinning. “I’m just so grateful to be with this bunch — and that’s not the alcohol talking.”

    Wilson — honored as the Finals MVP — led the way for the Aces despite a poor shooting night. The four-time regular-season MVP finished 7 of 21 from the field but made 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, who 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 the deficit to 76-70 with 7:56 left. That was as close as they would get.

    Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 30 points, shooting 12 of 22 from the field. Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

    Mercury 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.

    Las Vegas settled for a 54-38 halftime advantage. Wilson had 14 points before the break while Gray added 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, who suffered a concussion near the end of Game 3. They suffered another injury blow on 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 enjoyed a deep playoff run under Tibbetts but couldn’t find a way to slow down the Aces. Phoenix made it to the finals after beating the defending champion New York Liberty in the opening round and knocking off the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals.

    Phoenix lost in the WNBA Finals for the second time in five years, falling to the Chicago Sky in 2021. The Mercury have won three championships, with the last coming in 2014.

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    AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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  • Dominance of the Las Vegas Aces threatens to make short work of WNBA’s expanded finals

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    PHOENIX — PHOENIX (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces are in position to make short work of the WNBA’s expanded playoff schedule.

    A’ja Wilson’s turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining lifted the Aces over the Phoenix Mercury for a thrilling 90-88 win on Wednesday night. It also gave Las Vegas a 3-0 lead in the first best-of-seven WNBA Finals in league history.

    In the previous best-of-five format, the Aces would already be celebrating their third championship in four seasons.

    In 2025, there’s more work to do. Game 4 is on Friday night in Phoenix.

    “We don’t look at it too big,” Wilson said. “We just win one game, win one possession, win one quarter and then everything will pan out.”

    The Aces were one of the best teams in the WNBA all season, earning the No. 2 seed in the playoffs with a 30-14 record, but they looked surprisingly vulnerable early in the postseason. They dropped a game to Seattle in the opening round and needed the full five games to squeeze past the Indiana Fever in the semifinals, prevailing in overtime for a 107-98 win in the decisive Game 5.

    In the finals, the Aces have looked unstoppable.

    Wilson — a four-time MVP who is already one of the league’s all-time greats — continued to add to her legacy on Wednesday night with a 34-point, 14-rebound performance that helped the Aces navigate a hostile road environment and shake off a late Mercury rally.

    Wilson has already set a WNBA record with 291 postseason points through 11 games and is averaging 26.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The 29-year-old is still at the peak of her basketball powers, using her 6-foot-4 frame and soft touch around the basket to score in bunches.

    “I always have to credit my teammates, because they give me the basketball in the right space at the right time,” Wilson said. “Like Jewell (Loyd) said, the ball has energy. Players understand, there’s something different where you get a pass and it’s like ‘This is a pass to score the basketball.’”

    Wilson’s presence was more important than ever in the closing moments of Game 3.

    The Aces had coughed up a 76-59 lead entering the fourth quarter and the game was tied at 88 with 5 seconds left. Las Vegas had the ball and the daunting task of trying to close the game against a desperate Mercury team that had a raucous home crowd on its side.

    Aces coach Becky Hammon didn’t need to consult her playbook for the right call.

    Just throw it to A’ja. Boom. Game over.

    “These are the moments that you dream of, the times you see on TV, you’re watching and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, to be in that building,’” Wilson said.

    The Mercury will try to shake off the tough loss and force the series back to Las Vegas for a Game 5. It’s unclear if Phoenix will have forward Satou Sabally on the floor for the elimination game — she appeared to suffer a head injury late in Game 3 and missed the final four minutes.

    DeWanna Bonner scored 25 points in Game 3 while Alyssa Thomas was one assist short of a triple double, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

    “This group has been a group that continues to compete at a high level,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “We’re going to expect that in front of our fans. We’ve got a certain level of pride.”

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  • Angel Reese to make history as first professional athlete in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

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    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Angel Reese is getting a pair of wings.

    The Chicago Sky star announced on Instagram that she will be walking in the upcoming Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Oct. 15. It will be the first time a professional athlete will walk the runway in the show.

    “Stepping into a dream: From Angel to a Victoria Secret ANGEL,” the 23-year-old Reese posted on Instagram. “I’m finally getting my wings I’ll be walking the Victoria’s Secret 2025 runway show for the first time, and it feels like destiny. Wings on, heels ready…Catch me on the runway.”

    The retailer posted a video on Instagram of the announcement showing the WNBA player in a pink robe, black lingerie and white feather wings.

    “Angel Reese, welcome to the runway. The first professional athlete angel…major is an understatement,” the post reads.

    The lingerie show began in 2001 and took place annually for nearly two decades. Victoria’s Secret canceled the show in 2019, but brought it back last year, with Reese attending.

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  • WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to speak for 1st time since Napheesa Collier’s blistering comments

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    LAS VEGAS — LAS VEGAS (AP) — WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert typically highlights the league’s successes over the past season at her annual state of the league address.

    This year’s speech might be a little different. Engelbert will speak Friday night ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals for the first time since Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s blistering assessment that the league has “the worst leadership in the world” with a commissioner who lacks accountability.

    The best-of-seven championship series between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury in many ways is being overshadowed by the off-court issues facing Engelbert and the league.

    Engelbert is in the midst of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement that the players say aren’t going well. There’s a deadline of Oct. 31 to get the new CBA done unless both sides agree to an extension.

    The commissioner also is dealing with the potential sale of the Connecticut Sun, who would need league approval to relocate anywhere.

    There’s also been the season long critique of WNBA officiating by players and coaches.

    Not all is troubling around the WNBA. The season’s attendance was its highest in league history. Ratings have been strong this year even with Caitlin Clark out with injury for the second half of the season and the playoffs.

    For all the faults that Collier cited in her prepared comment on Tuesdays, Engelbert has delivered on many of her promises since coming into the league in 2019.

    She will have added six expansion teams by 2030 and secured a major new media rights deal for the next decade that will bring in more than $2.2 billion. Engelbert also had the league pay for a full charter flight program this season that the players hope will be added to the new CBA to address concerns about issues ranging from safety to travel time.

    The commissioner has said all along that the league is hoping for a transformational agreement that includes significantly increased player salaries and benefits.

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  • Las Vegas Aces eye historic third WNBA title in four years

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    LAS VEGAS — Not only does Phoenix await the Aces in the WNBA Finals, but so does history.

    Las Vegas has the opportunity to become champions for the third time in four years, a feat surpassed only by the Houston Comets, who won the league’s first four titles in 1997-2000

    The second-seeded Aces, who won championships in 2022 and 2023, open the best-of-seven Finals by hosting the No. 4 Mercury on Friday.

    But minutes after getting past No. 6 Indiana 107-98 in overtime on Tuesday night, coach Becky Hammon wasn’t ready to think about the potential history the Aces can make.

    “I haven’t thought about it,” Hammon said. “We’re just trying to make it through a quarter at a time. Look, we have a special group here. I’m not surprised that they’re here because I know who they are. I know how they’re built.”

    The Aces beat the Mercury in three of their four meetings this season, including both in August when Las Vegas was in the midst of compiling its 16-game winning streak to close the regular season. It’s tied with the second-longest streak in league history with the 2014 Mercury.

    The Aces are making their fourth Finals appearance in six years. They lost to Seattle in the COVID-19 bubble Finals of 2020, but then defeated Connecticut in 2022 and New York in 2023, securing both clinching victories on the road.

    In defeating the Liberty, the Aces became the first team since Los Angeles in 2001-02 to win back-to-back titles.

    Then this year, A’ja Wilson became the first four-time MVP. She was key to lifting the Aces out of a rut with that late charge in the regular season.

    “When you’ve been in the trenches and you really don’t know what is the problem or you don’t know what’s wrong, you’re trying to figure out answers,” Wilson said. “At the beginning of every season, we write out our goals and our goals are always to win a championship. That’s everybody. But to get there, the road, we weren’t expecting it to look like it is.

    “It definitely does feel a lot different than the ones before.”

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  • WNBA signs 11-year media rights deal with Versant to air games on USA Network

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    NEW YORK — The WNBA has another broadcast partner after signing an 11-year media rights deal with Versant to show regular-season games and portions of the playoffs beginning next year on USA Network.

    As part of the multi-year agreement, which runs through 2036, USA Network will present at least 50 games annually, including coverage of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals games in select years beginning in 2026.

    The agreement expands the game package that was to be distributed by USA Network under the WNBA’s historic national media deals signed in 2024. That deal included partnerships with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC and was worth about $200 million a year. Neither side announced how much money this new deal would bring to the league.

    “We’re incredibly proud to expand our multi-year partnership with the WNBA,” said Matt Hong, Versant’s president of sports. “USA Network will be a destination for WNBA viewers all season long, as we showcase the star power across the league in our marquee Wednesday night doubleheaders and build toward the intensity of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals.”

    USA Network will have Wednesday night doubleheaders as well as a pregame and postgame studio show. The league also has a deal with the ION network for Friday night games.

    “Partnering with VERSANT and USA Network marks another significant milestone for the WNBA’s continued growth,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “As demand for women’s basketball continues to rise, partnerships like this expand the visibility and accessibility of our game. By establishing a weekly primetime destination for fans, this agreement will showcase the excitement of the WNBA to more households than ever before and further elevate the incredible athletes in this league.”

    The league is currently in discussions with the players’ union to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement as the current one expires at the end of October.

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  • Mercury overcome 13-point deficit, beat Lynx 86-81 to reach WNBA Finals

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    PHOENIX — Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points, DeWanna Bonner made two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point deficit in the final period to beat the short-handed Minnesota Lynx 86-81 in Game 4 on Sunday night and advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.

    Phoenix will face the Indiana-Las Vegas winner in the championship series. Indiana forced a Game 5 earlier Sunday with a 90-83 home victory.

    The Mercury won the final three games of the best-of-five semifinal series. The top-seeded Lynx were playing without Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended for Game 4 because of her behavior and comments toward officials in Game 3. Minnesota also was without All-Star guard Napheesa Collier, who suffered an ankle injury near the end of the Game 3 loss.

    The Mercury trailed 68-55 heading into the fourth quarter but pulled to 70-69 on Sami Whitcomb’s 3-pointer with 4:46 left. Bonner’s 3-pointer pushed them ahead 72-70 and she hit another 3 with 2:03 left for a 77-73 lead.

    Minnesota’s Kayla McBride hit a 3-pointer — her sixth of the second half — to cut it to 77-76 with 1:04 left. The 38-year-old Bonner then made a pair of free throws to push the Mercury ahead 79-76.

    Bonner scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Satou Sabally scored 21 points.

    Phoenix will play in the Finals for the first time in four years and try to win its first championship since 2014.

    McBride led Minnesota with 31 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Courtney Williams added 20 points.

    Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to give the Mercury their first lead of the game at 41-38. But the Lynx responded with a 23-9 run, highlighted by a three 3-pointers from McBride.

    The Lynx jumped out to an early 12-1 lead but the Mercury slowly chipped way at the deficit. Thomas hit Bonner for a layup just before the halftime buzzer to tie the game at 38.

    Sabally led the Mercury with 18 points before the break.

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  • WNBA suspends Lynx coach Reeve 1 game for behavior, comments in Mercury loss

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    The WNBA suspended Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve for one game for her behavior and comments

    “Her conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner upon her ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans when exiting the court, and remarks made in a post-game press conference,” the league said in a statement Saturday.

    Reeve, who was also fined, will serve the suspension on Sunday when the Lynx play the Mercury in Game 4 of the teams’ semifinals series in Phoenix. Minnesota trails the best-of-five series 2-1.

    It’s believed to be the first time in the history of the WNBA that a coach has been suspended for a playoff game.

    Minnesota assistant coaches Eric Thibault and Rebekkah Brunson also were fined by the league. Thibault was fined for his inappropriate interaction with an official on the court. Brunson was fined for an inappropriate social media comment directed at WNBA officials.

    In her postgame rant, Reeve called for the WNBA to make changes at the league level when it comes to officiating. Monty McCutchen is the head of WNBA officiating, and Sue Blauch is the head of referee performance and development for the league.

    Reeve, however, focused her anger on the three game officials from Friday night: Isaac Barnett, Randy Richardson and Jenna Reneau.

    “The officiating crew that we had tonight — for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worthy — is (expletive) malpractice,” Reeve said.

    The play that drew Reeve’s ire was Alyssa Thomas stealing the ball from Napheesa Collier near the 3-point line and going toward the other end of the court for the game-sealing layup.

    Collier injured her leg on the play and had to be helped to the locker room. Reeve said Collier “probably has a fracture,” though she didn’t elaborate on the injury.

    Though Collier crashed to the court after the players collided, the National Basketball Referees Association posted a highlight of the play on X with its description of why officials were correct to not blow their whistle.

    “This is NOT a foul,” the post said. “Thomas legally gets to the ball and knocks the ball loose prior to any contact. The leg to leg contact is incidental once the ball is clearly loose.”

    There have been several complaints about WNBA officiating this season. Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon has voiced her issues with the physicality in the playoffs.

    “You can bump and grab a wide receiver in the NFL for those first 5 yards, but you can do it in the W for the whole half court,” she said. “You put two hands on somebody, it should be an automatic foul. The freedom of movement? There’s no freedom. I’m not saying we’re not fouling, too. I’m not saying that. I’m saying it’s out of control.”

    WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed the league’s officiating during All-Star Weekend in July.

    “As we go forward on the officiating, we hear the concerns. We take that employee input,” Engelbert said. “Every play is reviewed. We spend hours and hours and hours. Obviously, we use that then to follow up with officials’ training.

    “Consistency is important. I think some people observe our game versus other basketball formats (and think) there aren’t a ton of fouls called, but I realize consistency is the name of the game.”

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  • New York Liberty part ways with championship-winning coach Sandy Brondello

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    NEW YORK — The New York Liberty will not renew coach Sandy Brondello’s contract for next season, the organization announced Tuesday.

    Brondello led the Liberty to its first WNBA championship in 2024, but the team struggled with injuries to star players Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu this year. New York earned the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and lost in the first round to the Phoenix Mercury.

    “It has been a privilege to have coached the NY Liberty these last four years. Bringing the first ever championship to New York will always be the most amazing feeling. I wish the team and organization more success moving forward,” Brondello said to The Associated Press in a text message.

    Brondello went 107-53 in her four seasons with the team, giving her the most wins in franchise history. The Liberty got off to a franchise-best start, winning nine straight games, only to stumble over the next few months as injuries took their toll.

    “We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact on the New York Liberty,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said. “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. We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter.”

    She had her players support after the team lost in the playoffs last week.

    “To anybody that kind of questions Sandy being here, this is a resilient group,” Stewart said after the Game 3 loss to Phoenix last week. “And she has our back and we have hers. The way that she continued to kind of deal with the cards she was dealt was incredible. It wasn’t easy for anybody but she came in every day with a positive attitude and a mindset to put us in our best positions possible and best foot forward.”

    Before coming to New York, Brondello led the Phoenix Mercury to a championship in her eight seasons with that team. She was hired before the 2022 season by the Liberty after she helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals in 2021.

    New York lost in the finals to Las Vegas in 2023 before winning the championship last year in a decisive Game 5 overtime victory over Minnesota.

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  • Kara Lawson named head coach of US women’s basketball team for the 2028 LA Olympics

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    Kara Lawson helped the U.S. women’s basketball team win an Olympic gold medal as a player 17 years ago. Now she’ll have a chance to lead it to another as the coach in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

    Lawson was announced as the head coach for the women’s team for the next four years by USA Basketball on Monday.

    “I mean it’s hard to put everything into words as it’s something I’ve been working towards. I have so much love for USA Basketball and have been so excited to serve in any capacity they ask me to,” Lawson said in a phone interview. “It’s the best job in the sport in our country. To lead the U.S. women’s national team is such an amazing feeling. I felt a great sense of excitement and pride and just am really grateful for the opportunity.”

    Naming Lawson coach was the first official move made by Sue Bird, who started as the U.S. national team director earlier this year. In the past, a committee would decide on the coach and roster.

    “I think her resume, her experience, it all kind of speaks for itself,” Bird said in a phone interview. “When you start to learn about Kara and what she’s been a part of from a USA Basketball standpoint, that experience specifically made it really clear she’s the right person to lead us into the next cycle.”

    Lawson’s first chance to coach the team in a major competition will be at the World Cup next September in Germany. The Americans will play next March in a qualifier for that tournament, but that’s right before the NCAA Tournament, which would make it difficult for Lawson to coach the U.S. because she also leads Duke’s women’s basketball team.

    “Assembling a great staff for the national team is of the utmost importance,” said the 44-year-old Lawson. “I’ll lean on that staff a lot through that cycle. … You have to have great coaches around you, have great players around you. We have the ability to do both and that will be our challenge. Find the right group that will fit.”

    In addition to the Olympic gold she won as a player at the Beijing Games, Lawson helped the U.S. win gold as an assistant coach at the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics and as head coach at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in July.

    “I know this from playing with her and know this from all the conversations I had with her: I’m hard-pressed to find someone who is as prepared as Kara is,” Bird said.

    Lawson also coached the USA Basketball 3-on-3 team to gold at the Tokyo Games, the first time that sport had been contested at an Olympics.

    “Kara has been involved with USA Basketball dating back to 1998 as a high school player in the World Youth Games,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “Her international basketball experience is extensive, including 13 gold medals. To say her journey with us has been impressive is an understatement. I’m excited to watch Kara and Sue work together to deliver success at the World Cup in Berlin next fall and at the Olympic Games in LA in 2028.”

    Lawson’s path to coaching wasn’t similar to the one many others have taken. She went from playing 13 years in the WNBA to becoming a broadcaster. From there, she spent time with the Boston Celtics as an assistant before getting the Duke job in 2020.

    She led Duke to its first ACC Tournament championship under her watch last March, and the Blue Devils made a run to the Elite Eight. The team has advanced further in the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons.

    Lawson was a point guard at Tennessee and credits her time learning under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt as a big reason for her recent success on the sideline. Summitt was the Olympic coach in 1984 when the U.S. won gold at home in Los Angeles.

    Lawson looks forward to the opportunity to coach the U.S. on its home soil in an Olympics for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

    “This appointment wherever the Olympics would be is an incredible honor,” she said. “The opportunity to lead the American side in Los Angeles in a home Olympics is more added icing on the cake. What an incredible opportunity not just for me as a coach, but the other coaches on the staff, the players that get to play in a home Olympics as well. It’s a very unique opportunity that your country doesn’t get very often.”

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  • Despite losing Clark, other key players to injury, Fever still reach WNBA semifinals

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    INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever finally got a chance to celebrate Thursday night in Atlanta.

    A smiling Caitlin Clark, dressed again in street clothes, rushed the court to hug her teammates. The tone in coach Stephanie White’s voice changed between the first two questions of her postgame news conference. And three-time All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell recounted her journey here, to her first WNBA semifinal appearance — the one nobody saw coming just a few weeks ago.

    Yes, this team defied the odds by playing their way — with grit, resilience and an uncanny ability to adapt to any obstacle that threatened to derail their postseason aspirations.

    “I’ve had so many coaches in eight years, I’ve been on the worst record teams in the Indiana Fever (history), so I know where my career started at,” Mitchell said after the sixth-seeded Fever rallied in the final minute to beat the third-seeded Dream 87-85 in a decisive Game 3. “I know what I’ve had to go through to kind of be in this position, and I’ve never had a coach that poured into me respectfully, like Steph has. I’ve never felt that as a pro.”

    The truth is White needed Mitchell every bit as much, maybe even more, than Mitchell needed that tight bond with the league’s 2023 Coach of the Year.

    It wasn’t supposed to go this way after general manager Amber Cox spent the offseason pulling together a strong, deep and championship-experienced supporting cast around Clark, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, to turn Indiana into a title contender.

    But nothing went according to plan.

    Six-time All-Star forward DeWanna Bonner made only three starts and played in just nine games before she was released.

    The seemingly indestructible Clark sat out one preseason game with a left leg injury, missed five more with an injured left quadriceps and four more with a left groin injury before hurting her right groin near the end of a July 15 game at Connecticut that would eventually end her season.

    Guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald suffered season-ending injuries in the same Aug. 7 game at Phoenix and just when guard Sophie Cunningham started taking off, she suffered a season-ending right knee injury Aug. 17 at Connecticut, leaving the Fever without a natural point guard for the final month of the regular season.

    But with their playoff hopes teetering, the snakebitten Fever found an unexpected answer to that massive hole — relying on All-Star center Aliyah Boston’s evolving passing game and watching Mitchell thriving as both a ball distributor and the team’s top scorer at 20.2 points per game.

    “This group is just really special,” White said. “We say it pretty much ad nauseum, but it’s the resilience, the flexibility, the welcoming and inclusive nature of this team, their selflessness to pull for the we over the me, to let each teammate be who they are and shine at their best and to lift them up. In those moments, you know, I think that’s good for 12 or 15 points. It just is, and you couple that with the resilience, the toughness, the grit, the fight, the scrappiness and you always give yourself a chance.”

    They proved it by winning the league’s Commissioner Cup title without Clark and again by closing the regular season with five wins in their final seven games, including each of the last three, to earn the No. 6 seed.

    They did it again by rebounding from an 80-68 Game 1 loss by winning two elimination games — 77-60 on their home court and then back in Atlanta by scoring the final seven points, thanks in large part to five double-digit scorers and Lexie Hull’s steal with 4.8 seconds to play.

    “I’m grateful and happy to be back in the semifinals again,” said Natasha Howard, who started her career in 2015 with Indiana before winning three WNBA titles and was selected the league’s 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. “I’m just so excited that we’re back here again with this group of young women and the job is not done yet.”

    Next up is a best-of-five series that begins Sunday in Las Vegas against three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, an Aces franchise that captured WNBA crowns in 2022 and 2023 and a team that won its final 16 regular season games to finish second and rebounded from its first loss in 44 days by beating Seattle in Game 3.

    Could they come up with one more surprise? Don’t count Indiana out.

    “This group has been through every situation imaginable this year and we knew that we just had to keep it tight,” White said. “I love riding with these guys, I love coaching them and I’m just so incredibly proud of them.”

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  • WNBA playoffs: Three decisive Game 3s highlight a balanced season

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    NEW YORK — It’s fitting that many of the opening round playoff series are going the distance after the balanced regular season the WNBA had.

    There will be three decisive Game 3s over the next two days. That’s the first time that’s happened since 2015. Last season all four opening round series were sweeps.

    “You look at the standings this year how close it was, usually in the past it was clear cut who the top three were,” Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas said after the Mercury routed New York on Wednesday night. “This year there was so much movement and it came down to the wire who was going to be the eight in the playoffs. Credit to how the league is growing and how balanced teams are. It continues to get better.”

    The WNBA changed its playoff format this season giving each team at least one home game in the opening round which probably has helped. In the past few years, the better seeded team would have the first two games at home. Indiana and Seattle evened up their series on their home court Tuesday night and Golden State came within a basket of beating No. 1 seed Minnesota on Wednesday night to make it 4 for 4 on series going the distance.

    “I think it’s super intense. I think numbers don’t matter no more. Everyone’s 0-0,” Minnesota guard Courtney Williams said. “You can’t take no team lightly. You saw that tonight. These folks came out and gave us a run for our money.”

    Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said that she expected her series to go a third game too.

    “At no point in time did we think this was going to be a two-game series, at no point in time,” she said. “They played well enough to win obviously we hung in there and made one more basket then they did.”

    While the Indiana-Atlanta and Seattle-Las Vegas series saw each team win games on their home court, Phoenix and New York bucked the trend. Both were victorious on each other’s home court to force the third game.

    “It didn’t help us since we lost the first game at home,” Thomas said laughing. “It’s just nice for everyone to get a home game. Two home games (in a row) last year is unheard of in a three-game series. In order to win a series, you got to win on the road. Tonight we won on the road. It’s been a competitive couple of games.”

    Back when the playoffs had East and West matchups instead of the top eight playing each other regardless of conference, opening series going the distance was more common.

    In 2003 and 2004, three of the four opening series went three games. In 2008 all four went the distance.

    The league went to a single-game elimination format in the first round from 2016-2021 before going back to best-of-three a year later.

    “You see how competitive, how balanced this is,” said New York forward Breanna Stewart. “How important it is for these kind of series, you know, to be going back and forth. It’s kind of crazy. … Hopefully for the fans and those people watching, they just get to enjoy it more. They get to see basketball more often.”

    All the players and coaches wouldn’t mind an extra day or two before the decisive games. The format though is similar to the NBA, which basically played every other day in the first round this past season.

    “I think that’s a tough thing as always, you see how competitive this league is talking about those turnarounds,” Stewart said of the 48 hours between Game 2 and 3 that all the series face.

    Whoever wins Friday night’s game between Phoenix and New York will also have a quick turnaround with Game 1 of the semifinals in Minnesota on Sunday.

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    AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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    AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this story.

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  • Unrivaled women’s basketball league now valued at $340M after landing more funding

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    Another group of big-name sports figures have invested in Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart’s 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled as it aims to build on its promising inaugural season.

    The league announced Monday that it is now valued at $340 million after closing its oversubscribed Series B investment round led by Bessemer Venture Partners — a massive figure for the young league that just wrapped up its first season in March, and a reflection of the increasing momentum and interest in women’s sports.

    Serena Williams’ venture capital firm Serena Ventures came on as an investor, along with Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young, Franz and Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic, University of Maryland president Darryll J. Pines and his wife Sylvia, and prominent sports executive Sam Rapoport.

    Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures and Warner Bros. Discovery also built on their previous investments in the league.

    This round of investments comes after the league said it secured more than $28 million in Series A funding last December to go along with the $7 million raised during its seed round, which was announced in May 2024.

    Plenty of other stars invested in Unrivaled ahead of its first season, including NBA stars Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Carmelo Anthony, decorated coaches Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley, Coco Gauff, Michael Phelps, Billie Jean King and Wanda Sykes.

    “We’re continuing to align with partners who elevate our league and accelerate our strategic growth. With Bessemer Venture Partners leading this round, Unrivaled is in an unprecedented position for a new sports league,” Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said in a statement, adding that this round of investment proves “athlete-driven models can thrive at the highest levels of business.”

    Collier and Stewart, both stars in the WNBA, founded Unrivaled in 2023 to give top players another option to play in the U.S. in the offseason while supplementing their WNBA incomes. Unrivaled debuted in January with players earning the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history, and players had equity stakes in the league.

    The league wrapped up its eight-week season with Rose winning the first championship.

    While platforming some of the game’s biggest stars like the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner and others, Unrivaled averaged 221,000 viewers on TNT and truTV during its regular season and two-day postseason sold out every game held at its arena in Miami.

    Unrivaled’s second season will tip off in January 2026.

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  • Angel Reese voices frustration with Chicago Sky’s losing season

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    CHICAGO — Angel Reese aired her frustrations with the Chicago Sky as the franchise finishes another losing season.

    The two-time WNBA All-Star told the Chicago Tribune that she “might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me” if the team doesn’t improve its outlook.

    “I am very vocal about what we need and what I want,” she said. “I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me. But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”

    Chicago improved to 10-30 after routing Connecticut on Wednesday night. Reese had 18 points and 13 rebounds. The franchise is 3-15 since the All-Star Break, but Reese missed a lot of those games with a back issue.

    “I’m not settling for the same … we did this year,” the young star told the paper. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason.

    “So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”

    Reese, who was the No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft last season, is averaging 14.6 points and and a league-best 12.6 rebounds. She has at least one more season on her rookie contract.

    Reese walked back her comments after Wednesday night’s win and said she had already apologized to the team.

    “I probably am frustrated with myself right now,” she said. “I think the language was taken out of context and I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year.”

    Reese said she has to learn from the situation.

    “I just have to be better with my language because I know it’s not the message it’s the messenger and understanding what I say can be taken any kind of way so I just have to really be better and grow from this,” she said.

    Reese told the paper that she wanted coach Tyler Marsh to coach players harder and didn’t think the team’s current roster was good enough to win championships. She also was called out injured point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who is sidelined with an ACL injury. Vandersloot was a big part of the franchise’s only championship in 2021.

    “We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese said. “I know she’ll be a great asset for us, but we can’t rely on that. We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who’s been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before.”

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  • Copper hits 5 3s, scores 22 to help Mercury beat Liberty 80-63

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    Kahleah Copper hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, Alyssa Thomas had 14 points and nine assists, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty 80-63

    PHOENIX — Kahleah Copper hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, Alyssa Thomas had 14 points and nine assists, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty 80-63 on Saturday night.

    Phoenix (25-14) has won four in a row and six of seven to move into a tie with Atlanta for third in the WNBA standings, one-half game behind second-place Las Vegas and 1 1/2 games ahead of the Liberty.

    Satou Sabally also scored 14 points for the Mercury. Natasha Mack had 10 rebounds — including a career-high seven offensive boards — to go with eight points and four blocks. DeWanna Bonner added nine points and seven rebounds.

    There were nine lead changes and nine ties before Kathryn Westbeld and Copper hit 3-pointers 29 seconds apart to take the lead for good at 51-48 and spark a 15-1 run. Bonner stole a pass and went the other way for a layup, then hit 3 to cap the spurt and make it an 11-point lead almost a minute into the fourth quarter.

    The Mercury made 10 of 14 from the field in the fourth and scored 17 of the final 20 points. New York missed five consecutive field-goal attempts and committed three turnovers before Isabelle Harrison made a layup to cap the scoring with 16.8 seconds left.

    Emma Meesseman led New York (24-16) with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Breanna Stewart scored 14 points and Natasha Cloud added 13.

    The Liberty play Tuesday at Golden State. The Mercury host Indiana on Wednesday.

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  • Thomas sets WNBA single-season record with 7 triple-doubles as the Mercury beat the Sparks 92-84

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    Alyssa Thomas had 12 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists for her WNBA single-season record seventh triple-double, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Los Angeles Sparks 92-84

    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alyssa Thomas had 12 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists for her WNBA single-season record seventh triple-double, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Los Angeles Sparks 92-84 on Tuesday night.

    Thomas secured her 18th career triple-double with 2:50 left in the fourth quarter on a shot in the lane. She broke her own record of six triple-doubles in a season, set in 2023.

    Thomas, who had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists in a win on Friday, also became the first player in WNBA history to post at least 10 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game.

    Phoenix (23-14) moved past New York (23-15) for sole possession of fourth place in the WNBA standings.

    Satou Sabally had a team-high 19 points and Kahleah Copper added 18 for Phoenix. Sami Whitcomb made five of her first six 3-pointers and finished with 17 points. DeWanna Bonner added 14 points.

    The Mercury went 11 of 25 from 3-point range, with nine makes coming from players off the bench.

    Dearica Hamby had 25 points, eight rebounds and five steals for Los Angeles (17-19). Rickea Jackson had 21 points and four 3-pointers, and Kelsey Plum scored 20. Plum reached 700 points on the season — the third time she’s done that in her career.

    Thomas had just one point at halftime after attempting two field goals, to go with 10 assists and seven rebounds.

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