The Aces quickly and efficiently did what seemed almost impossible in the earlier stages of the playoffs: shut down the Phoenix Mercury. Phoenix only lost Game 1 and Game 3 narrowly, but keeping the score close took everything the team had to give and it was ultimately not enough to win either game. Now, the Mercury are down 3-0 and just one game away from losing the series. The key to beating the Mercury is generally limiting Alyssa Thomas.
Thomas is a walking triple-double and the driving force behind pretty much everything Phoenix does. Her unique combination of playmaking, defense, and physicality makes her a bad matchup for almost anyone—except A’ja Wilson and Becky Hammon, that is. Thomas recorded two double-doubles already—both just one assist away from a triple-double—and she’s scoring efficiently, but she still hasn’t been as effective against the Aces as in other series.
Las Vegas has figured out how to play well against Thomas, which really isn’t surprising if you consider that Becky Hammon has experience coaching—and winning—against Alyssa Thomas in the finals.
The Aces beat the Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals
When the Aces won their first championship under Becky Hammon, they went up against the Connecticut Sun, a star-studded team led by Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, and Courtney Williams. The Aces won that series 3-1 despite two triple-doubles and one double-double from Thomas.
This Mercury team is very different from the squad the Aces faced in 2022, but Thomas is still just as unique and difficult to guard. Hammon’s experience with game-planning against her at the highest level undoubtedly helped the Aces prepare for a successful series against the Mercury. Obviously, A’ja Wilson’s two-way versatility also helps.
Alyssa Thomas is having her worst series of the playoffs
Alyssa Thomas had two incredibly strong series going into the finals. She recorded a 20-point triple-double in Game 3 against the Liberty, cracked the 20-point mark twice against Minnesota, and recorded two double-doubles, including a 13-assist performance in Game 2 against the Lynx. In the finals, she also recorded two double-doubles, but they haven’t been as strong as her previous games.
Before the finals, Game 2 against the Liberty marked Thomas’s fewest shot attempts in the playoffs. She only took 13 shots in that game. In the finals, Thomas hasn’t taken more than eleven shots in a game yet. The last two games also marked the most fouls Thomas recorded in the playoffs.
The Aces’ defense and Hammon’s ability to make adjustments on the fly have bothered Phoenix as a whole and Thomas specifically. Thomas’s play is so central to the Mercury’s offense that the Aces’ success against her rattled the team and forced them to find offense in other ways than they usually do. Now that Satou Sabally is officially ruled out for Game 4 with a concussion, doing that will be even more difficult.