Vacation came too early for the Minnesota Lynx than what they had planned. The Lynx entered the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with the confidence that they could one-up their finish in the 2024 postseason, where they lost in the championship round to the New York Liberty. 

Well, the Lynx fell short of that goal, as they crashed out of title contention on Monday, suffering an 86-81 loss to the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 of their semifinals series at PHX Arena in Phoenix. 

Minnesota ruled the 2025 WNBA regular season, topping the standings with a 34-10 record, four games better than the rest of the league. The Lynx entered the playoffs as the favorite to be the last team standing. And they looked every bit like it when they demolished the  Golden State Valkyries in Game 1 of a first-round series. Minnesota completed a series sweep of the Valkyries, but not before a close call in Game 2, where the Lynx eked out just a one-point victory.

The Lynx then crushed Phoenix in Game 1 of the following series, but that turned out to be the final time Cheryl Reeve’s squad would taste success this season. What happened next was three straight victories for the Mercury, who successfully avenged their playoff elimination at the hands of the Lynx in 2024.

It looked as though the Lynx were going to force a Game 5, as they built a 13-point lead after three quarters. But the Mercury stormed back. They knew they had to capitalize on the absences of Minnesota superstar Napheesa Collier and Reeve. Phoenix unleashed a 31-point salvo in the final period and held the Lynx to just 13 points to get the job done and send Minnesota home.

“Got to give Phoenix credit for the way they defended in the fourth quarters,” Lynx associate head coach Eric Thibault said after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “They switched and made it hard on us. We didn’t get enough quality shots down the stretch.”

It was a tough way to go for the Lynx. They were close to playing at home in a winner-take-all Game 5 with Reeve back from a one-game suspension and potentially Collier, who missed Game 4 with an ankle injury.

With nothing to look forward to this season, Minnesota is left to deal with a painful exit in the aftermath of its loss to Phoenix.