The IX Basketball<\/a>: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX Sports<\/a>. 24\/7\/365 women\u2019s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.<\/p>\n
A marquee individual matchup<\/p>\n
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier<\/a> and Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas<\/a> will be the spotlight of this series, much like how Thomas\u2019 matchup with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart<\/a> headlined the Mercury\u2019s first-round series.<\/p>\n Collier, the face of the Lynx\u2019s post-Maya Moore<\/a> era, makes the Lynx a powerhouse with her scoring prowess and defensive ferocity. She finished the regular season second in the league in scoring<\/a> at 22.9 points per game, grabbed 7.3 rebounds per game, and became only the second player in WNBA history to post a 50\/40\/90 season<\/a>. A five-time WNBA All-Star and last season\u2019s Defensive Player of the Year, she won MVP in The Next\u2019s awards voting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Thomas has broken records of her own. She has a league-best nine triple-doubles this season<\/a>, with her most recent one coming in Game 3 against the Liberty. That was also her fifth career playoff triple-double<\/a>; no other player has more than one. Thomas affects the game in every facet, setting a tone of physicality and craftiness that ultimately led the Mercury to win Round 1.<\/p>\n With the MVP award set to be announced on Sunday, whoever doesn\u2019t win might have some extra motivation. Either way, both superstars are the focal points of their teams and can single-handedly tilt the outcome of the series.<\/p>\n Rest vs. rhythm<\/p>\n One of the most intriguing storylines going into the series, especially ahead of Game 1, is rest. Minnesota completed a sweep of the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday<\/a>, giving them three full days to recover and prepare.<\/p>\n \u201cAny rest you can get is huge at this time of the year,\u201d Collier said earlier in the week. \u201cThe games are super physical.\u201d<\/p>\n Phoenix, meanwhile, played a physical elimination game on Friday and immediately traveled to Minneapolis. The Mercury could be at a disadvantage from having to shift their focus from New York to Minnesota so quickly. But at the same time, it could be an advantage because Phoenix is a team that has leaned on momentum all postseason.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Minnesota, we\u2019ll worry about that after this win,\u201d Mercury forward Satou Sabally<\/a> told reporters on Friday after Phoenix advanced. \u201cWe\u2019ve already had a few games against them, never at full strength, but we\u2019re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Want even more women\u2019s sports in your inbox?<\/p>\n Subscribe now to The IX Sports<\/a> and receive our daily women\u2019s sports newsletter covering soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers. That includes Basketball Wednesday from founder and editor Howard Megdal.<\/p>\n Readers of The IX Basketball now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.<\/p>\n History favors the Lynx, but with an asterisk<\/p>\n This series will be unpredictable given the circumstances of the teams\u2019 regular-season matchups. The Lynx and Mercury squared off four times in 2025, with Minnesota winning three times. However, Phoenix was never at full strength in those games.<\/p>\n The Mercury\u2019s \u201cBig Three\u201d of Thomas, Sabally and Kahleah Copper<\/a> never shared the floor in those games \u2014 in fact, at least two of them were out for each game. Copper missed all four games, while Thomas and Sabally each missed two.<\/p>\n Despite this, the Mercury won once and kept two of the losses close.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve matched up with Minnesota pretty well all season,\u201d Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts told reporters on Friday. \u201cWe\u2019re going to celebrate tonight and worry about them tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Also, the last matchup between them was more than two months ago on July 16. Injuries aside, a lot has changed since then, which will make it interesting to see how Tibbetts and Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve game plan.<\/p>\n Lynx have depth, defense and a drive for redemption<\/p>\n Minnesota enters the series with more than just Collier. Reeve\u2019s team is stacked with both star power and role players who fit their system seamlessly.<\/p>\n Forward Alanna Smith<\/a>, the 2025 WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, has anchored the paint with 1.9 blocks per game<\/a>. Veteran guard Kayla McBride<\/a>, a five-time All-Star, is a proven secondary scorer and is averaging 14.2 points per game<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are also the \u201cStudBudz\u201d: Courtney Williams<\/a>, the fiery point guard whose relentless intensity has made her a fan favorite and an All-Star in 2025, and Natisha Hiedeman<\/a>, who finished second in Sixth Player of the Year voting<\/a> thanks to her steady shooting (37.1% from 3-point range).<\/p>\n But Minnesota isn\u2019t invincible. The team just announced that reserve guard\/forward DiJonai Carrington<\/a> will miss the rest of the postseason<\/a> with a left foot sprain. Carrington, the 2024 WNBA Most Improved Player and an All-Defensive first team selection, was averaging 8.5 points<\/a> on 4-for-7 3-point shooting in the playoffs.<\/p>\n In 2024, the Lynx stormed to the WNBA Finals but lost to New York in a Game 5 overtime thriller. Most of the key players on that roster remain on the team, and that heartbreak has fueled their season-long push. The Mercury just took down the defending champions, but Minnesota has improved and is mostly healthy.<\/p>\n \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark\u201d is out now!<\/p>\n Howard Megdal\u2019s newest book is here! \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar\u201d captures both the historic nature of Clark\u2019s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.<\/p>\n Mercury blend new stars and old wisdom<\/p>\n Sabally (16.3 points per game) and Copper (15.6 points) have given Phoenix dynamic scoring threats to complement Thomas\u2019 playmaking. Copper, the 2021 Finals MVP and one of only two returners from last season, has been called the Mercury\u2019s \u201cthermometer\u201d because of how her energy dictates the team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n Veteran guard\/forward DeWanna Bonner<\/a>\u2018s midseason arrival gave Phoenix something it badly needed: postseason pedigree. Bonner leads all players with 90 career playoff appearances<\/a> and remains a defensive anchor.<\/p>\n \u201cJust hearing what the people were saying on TV about all of her accolades, what she\u2019s done in the playoffs, the points that she\u2019s scored, the games that she\u2019s played in,\u201d Tibbetts said of Bonner. \u201cWe\u2019re so damn lucky to have her, and she\u2019s been just awesome. \u2026 She\u2019s a big reason why we are where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, Phoenix also has four rookies<\/a>, including key rotational players Monique Akoa Makani<\/a> and Kathryn Westbeld<\/a>. Akoa Makani is the starting point guard and did an excellent job guarding Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu<\/a> in Round 1, while Westbeld has come off the bench to hit big shots all season long.<\/p>\n That balance of new blood and seasoned presence has made Phoenix dangerous. And Tibbetts has embraced the unknowns of guiding a group that\u2019s still learning how to win together.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time we go through something, it\u2019s going to be the first time together,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n What it all means and where it will be decided<\/p>\n The Lynx have home-court advantage, with games 1, 2 and 5 set in Minneapolis. Phoenix will host games 3 and 4 at PHX Arena. The Mercury players have raved all season about the \u201cX-Factor,\u201d their raucous home crowd, and how much it has lifted them during tight moments.<\/p>\n But the Lynx are not easily rattled. Collier relishes hostile environments, thriving in Game 2 of the first round, when Minnesota stormed back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to close out the series on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an opposing player,\u00a0playing in environments like this, it\u2019s really fun,\u201d Collier told reporters about the rowdy Valkyries fans after Game 2.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758464948_518_Untitled-design-13.png\")
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