Complete WNBA Semi-Finals Guide - LITE

Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury

This one is going to be a battle! The Lynx tied the all-time single-season wins record with 34, and they haven’t slowed down in the Playoffs. Sure, they fell behind early in both games against Golden State, but they rallied each time, including that huge 17-point comeback in Game 2, to sweep the expansion team.

On the other side, the Phoenix Mercury dropped Game 1 at home, then came back swinging. They handed the Liberty a 26-point beatdown in New York, the worst postseason loss in their history, and then shut down the defending champs in Game 3 to make it out of the first round for the first time since 2021.

Catch the action:

• Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 21 at Target Center | 4 p.m. (ESPN)

• Game 2: Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Target Center | 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

• Game 3: Friday, Sept. 26 at PHX Arena | 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

• Game 4 (If necessary): Sunday, Sept. 28 at PHX Arena | TBD

• Game 5 (If necessary): Tuesday, Sept. 30 at Target Center | TBD

Season series recap:

The Lynx dominated the season series against Phoenix, winning three of four matchups and outscoring the Mercury by an average of 8.5 points. But it’s worth noting Mercury had at least one of their stars missing each time.

Dive into the full series preview for everything you need to know: how these teams measure up, where they’re strong, and where they’re vulnerable.

Las Vegas Aces vs Indiana Fever

Well, the Aces’ shot at breaking that WNBA record of 18 straight wins is gone. But now they can just lock in on making their third Finals in four years. To even get here, Vegas had to grind it out against Seattle, taking the series 2-1 after barely surviving a 74-73 nail-biter in Game 3. On the other side, the Indiana Fever are living their Cinderella story. Despite the depleted squad, they shocked the No. 3 Atlanta Dream 2-1, pulling off an 87-85 upset in Game 3 on Sept. 18. That was their first playoff series win since 2015.

Catch the action:

• Game 1 - Sunday, Sept. 21: at Las Vegas, 3 p.m. ET, ABC

• Game 2 - Tuesday, Sept. 23: at Las Vegas, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

• Game 3 - Friday, Sept. 26: at Indiana, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

• Game 4 (if necessary) - Sunday, Sept. 28: at Indiana, 3 p.m. ET, ABC

• Game 5 (if necessary) - Tuesday, Sept. 30: at Las Vegas, time/TV TBD

Season series recap:

The Fever actually holds the edge here, taking it 2-1. Home teams won all three games, each by double digits. Still, Becky Hammon isn’t worried. “They haven’t seen the real Aces yet. They caught us when we were in turmoil. We’ll buckle in, hone in where we can, and take care of business,” she said.

Check out the full series preview for a breakdown of both teams’ strengths, weaknesses, and how they match up. There are also some pretty intriguing storylines in this one you’ll want to follow.