PHOENIX — Alyssa Thomas and defense fit like a glove. It can be like the addition of chocolate to milk. In this case, defense fuels the Phoenix Mercury, and it starts with the proclaimed “engine” of the team.
Despite Thomas playing like an MVP for the Mercury, she has kept one thing the same ever since she was traded: defense.
Throughout the playoffs, Phoenix had the league's best defensive rating and made teams like the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx completely stall on offense.
When facing the Las Vegas Aces, it's been the inverse. They've figured out Phoenix's defense with physical guards, elite perimeter shooting, and the most important factor: A'ja Wilson.
The 2025 MVP has played like the trophy suggests and has even exceeded those expectations. While the Mercury were stunned by the Aces, thanks to a Wilson game-winner in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, the 90-88 final score suggested a much closer game than depicted.
In the first half, the team allowed a playoff-worst 55 points to Las Vegas. Rotations were not there, along with the commitment to communication and a willingness to fight and give maximum effort.
Thomas immediately called out the first half. She was perplexed as to what had happened, considering the Mercury's identity is based on defense.
As a result, it's left Phoenix in disarray, and a thought process consumed with hypotheticals.
Safe to say that Alyssa Thomas thought the Mercury’s first-half defense was what costed them Game 3.
“Like I said, our first half play was unacceptable, especially with an opportunity to play on your home court.”
Q: @kendra__andrews pic.twitter.com/jxlyqg9uZM
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) October 9, 2025
“It's no revenge and no elimination. We've had plenty of opportunities to go out there and get a win,” Thomas said to reporters postgame. “At some point, we have to take it upon ourselves.
“Like I said, our first half was unacceptable, especially with the opportunity to play on your home court and go out there and get a win. The same thing goes for Game 4. We got to come out from the start.”
DeWanna Bonner sees Alyssa Thomas's comment on Mercury's defense
If anyone has playoff experience, it is DeWanna Bonner. She understands what the moment is and what is necessary to seize it.
Ever since Bonner signed with the Mercury, she immediately bought into the team's defensive ideology. While she had a quality offensive game herself, she's never been one to hold anything back.
She echoed much of what Thomas said, but was more candid than her counterpart.
DeWanna Bonner wasn’t pleased with the Mercury’s defensive effort in the first-half.
They gave up a playoff-worst 55 points between the two quarters.
“I don’t know why we came out like that, especially already down 0-2.”
Q: @alexaphilippou pic.twitter.com/BRzRQCoQel
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) October 9, 2025
“Our defense is effort in the first. First half was unacceptable,” Bonner said to reporters postgame. “Jewell (Loyd) came in and got them going with four straight 3s.
“They got their hands on a lot of loose balls that led to a lot of 3s. Yeah, our defense was unacceptable in the first half. I don't know why we came out like that, especially already down 0-2.”
Phoenix has its back against the wall and is going to prepare to do something no WNBA team has ever done: come back from 3-0. In the first installment of a seven-game WNBA Finals series, being swept would be the ultimate disgrace.
Las Vegas shot 49% from the field and 56% from 3-point range in the first half. The second half was a completely different story, but it simply didn't matter.
Moving away from your bread and butter isn't ideal, especially with your back against the wall. Either way, the Mercury will have serious ground to make up.
Head coach Nate Tibbetts described taking it “one game at a time.” In that phrase, they hope that the second-half defense can trickle over to all four quarters of Game 4, and not just one half or one quarter of basketball.
If that's not the case, then Phoenix will be on the wrong side of history at the hands of the Aces.
