Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) celebrates their win over the New York Liberty 79-73 to win the series during Game Three of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs first round at PHX Arena on Sept. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why Phoenix Finished 1-1 In Postseason Overtime Games

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Jan 24, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Phoenix Mercury went on an impressive run in the 2025 playoffs. They faced tough opponents, and they beat two of them. They faced the New York Liberty the first time around, and they faced the Minnesota Lynx after that.

Phoenix reached the WNBA Finals, and that led to a series against the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces won their third championship, and A'ja Wilson won her second Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Mercury's playoff run was special, and during that time, they had two overtime games. The first happened right away, as the Liberty beat the Mercury 76-69. That was a home game for Phoenix, but New York came in and pulled off the upset.

Phoenix did not have its best showing, and as a team, the Mercury shot 23 percent from beyond the arc. The Mercury had a hard time getting started but some of their best players ended up having solid performances.

Kahleah Copper was the team's leading scorer, and she had 15 points. She also had two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Alyssa Thomas had a solid game, as she had 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and a steal. Then, DeWanna Bonner had a nice performance, as she had 12 points, five rebounds and three steals off the bench.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A familiar face helped the Liberty get the win, as Natasha Cloud was their leading scorer. She had 23 points, and she also had six rebounds, five assists and four steals. She did a bit of everything, and it was reminiscent of her time in Phoenix. Cloud played for them in 2024, and in February 2025, the Mercury traded her to the Connecticut Sun. She was traded to the Liberty later on.

Things did not go in Phoenix's favor in the first game, but the Mercury responded with victories in the next two. Then, in the series against the Lynx, the Mercury were victorious in Game 2.

Mercury get a win, take over the series

Phoenix lost the first game, but the team secured an overtime win in the second. The Mercury beat the Lynx 89-83, and Satou Sabally had a big game. She had 24 points, nine rebounds and an assist. Thomas was the second-leading scorer, and she had 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Sami Whitcomb had a noteworthy performance, as she had 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.