The Phoenix Mercury ended up on the wrong side of a topsy-turvy Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. The 89-86 loss came down to fine margins as the Aces’ bench completely outscored Phoenix’s reserves 41-16.
Satou Sabally was put on the bench by head coach Nate Tibbetts after she picked up her fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. While she returned late in the quarter, the head coach explained his decision post-game.
“I haven’t really had time to process that, but we have had a pretty set rotation. I am glad to say they came back, I haven’t really heard for sure what had happened. But yeah, I mean, I saw her(Sabally) getting her fifth foul, and that changed some things for us too. So, different people will have to step up at different points of time,” he said, via Desert Wave Media.
Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts explained his decision to go with the closing lineup he did. #WNBA pic.twitter.com/gk5I2IV0cA
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) October 4, 2025
Upon her return, Sabally ended up missing a tough three-pointer that would have tied the game with two seconds remaining on the clock. However, Tibbetts claimed post-game that he should have called a late timeout.
“I probably shoulda ran out and called another timeout with probably six seconds to go. Made it a little tougher that it was at the other end. But they made a good defensive stand there,” he said, per Yahoo Sports.
The fifth call against Sabally was a shooting foul on A’ja Wilson, who starred for the Aces with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The three-time All-Star ended up bouncing the ball in frustration, which led to Wilson earning an extra free throw.
She finished with 19 points, four assists and four rebounds, with Kahleah Copper leading the scoring for the Mercury with 21 points and four rebounds. Alyssa Thomas nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Game 2 will also be played at the Michelob Ultra Arena, on Sunday.
