Alyssa Thomas sends fierce warning as Mercury target Napheesa Collier & Co.’s scalp after ousting defending champs

Alyssa Thomas is high on the Phoenix Mercury’s chances against Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx in their upcoming semifinals matchup. Thomas recorded her fifth career playoff triple-double on Friday as the Mercury defeated the New York Liberty 79-73 to knock them out of the playoffs.

Thomas finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Satou Sabally also had a strong game, adding 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Speaking after the game, Thomas was asked how she feels about playing the league’s No. 1 team in the next round.

Thomas shrugged off Minnesota's high ranking throughout the season and expressed confidence in her team.

“They haven’t seen us at full strength, so we’re ready to play,” Thomas said.

Thomas and Co. sneaked past the Liberty despite Breanna Stewart’s dominant 30-point performance. She finished with 30 points and nine rebounds, shooting 8-for-17. Sabrina Ionescu recorded 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Mercury faced Collier and the Minnesota Lynx four times during the regular season. Minnesota dominated the matchup, winning the series 3-1. Despite the unfavorable results in the regular season, Thomas remains confident of her team’s chances of advancing past the semifinals.

Following her strong performance in Game 3 against New York, she is averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists in three playoff games so far.

Alyssa Thomas and Napheesa Collier were named WNBA MVP finalists

The Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx both feature some of the best talents in the league, but fans have their eyes on the Alyssa Thomas vs. Napheesa Collier matchup. Collier and Thomas are coming off stellar regular-season campaigns and have been named finalists for the 2025 WNBA MVP.

Thomas was solid across the board, averaging 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game, shooting 53.2%. She led the Mercury to a No. 4 finish with a 27-17 record. Collier, meanwhile, averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists, leading the Lynx to the best record in the league (34-10).

Many expect the award to come down to the Lynx star and A’ja Wilson. Even though Alyssa Thomas might miss out on the MVP, she has the opportunity to topple Minnesota in the playoffs. Game 1 of the Mercury-Lynx series will tip off on Sunday at Target Center.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan