PHOENIX (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces didn’t play their best late in Game 3 in the WNBA Finals, coughing up a 17-point lead in the final quarter that meant the game came down to one offensive possession with five seconds remaining.
Even so, there wasn’t any panic. The security of having a four-time MVP in the paint is nice.
A’ja Wilson made a turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds left, capping a stellar 34-point, 14-rebound night and lifting the Aces over the Phoenix Mercury 90-88 on Wednesday night for a 3-0 lead in the WNBA Finals.
Aces coach Becky Hammon said there wasn’t any discussion about who would take the final shot. There was no need to overthink anything.
“You give the ball to A’ja and get out of the way,” Hammon said. “That’s all it really was.”
The Aces are one victory away from winning their third title in four seasons. Game 4 is Friday in Phoenix.
Las Vegas had what looked like a comfortable 76-59 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Mercury closed the gap to 84-83 with 3:06 left on Kahleah Copper’s 3-pointer. DeWanna Bonner tied the game at 86-all on a 3-pointer with 1:33 left and made two free throws with 1:01 left to tie it at 88.
That set up Wilson’s heroics in the final seconds. She took an entry pass from Chelsea Gray and made her turnaround jumper over Alyssa Thomas and Bonner as the Mercury’s home crowd groaned.
“I feel like in that moment, if a coach has to tell you what to do, I’m not doing my job,” Wilson said. “(Hammon) just drew up a play — it wasn’t even really a play — it was pretty much what you saw. I’m appreciative that Becky trusts me in those moments.
“That’s playoff basketball. Those are the moments that you root for.”
Phoenix had one final try to get a bucket, but Bonner’s quick jumper was no good.
The 6-foot-4 Wilson continued her dominant postseason run, making 11 of 20 shots from the field and adding four assists. She is averaging more than 26 points in 11 postseason games. Jackie Young added 21 points.
Wilson’s 291 total points over 11 games is a WNBA postseason record.
The Aces took a 2-0 lead by winning the first two games in Las Vegas, but the Mercury hoped for a boost from their boisterous home crowd in Game 3. Instead, Las Vegas thrived in the hostile atmosphere, showing the poise of a veteran team that’s been in high-pressure situations many times.
Bonner led the Mercury with 25 points while Satou Sabally had 24. Copper scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Thomas was one assist short of a triple-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Sabally left the game with 4:26 left in the fourth quarter when she got tangled with Young and then fell into Kierstan Bell, hitting her head on the side of her leg. Sabally stayed on the ground for several minutes before being helped off the court.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said he didn’t have an update on Sabally following the game.
Las Vegas used a 17-0 run midway through the first quarter to take an early 21-8 lead and never trailed again. Jewell Loyd came off the bench and made four 3-pointers in less than two minutes to lead the offensive onslaught.
Phoenix responded with its own 13-0 run to tie the game, but could never regain the advantage. The Mercury trailed 26-23 heading into the second quarter.
The Aces pulled away late in the second quarter to take a 55-43 lead into halftime. Las Vegas shot 9 of 16 (56.3%) from 3-point range, including a combined six from bench players Loyd and Dana Evans.
Tibbetts said his team’s defense needed to improve after it gave up 89 points in Game 1 and 91 in Game 2, but things weren’t much better on Wednesday. The Aces used their early 3-point barrage to turn the game into another high-scoring shootout.
Tibbetts said he was proud of his team “for not giving in.”
“We’re not into moral victories,” Tibbetts said. “This was a game that we wanted to get, needed to get. But for us to compete the way we did, just shows the character of our team.”
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