“Yeah, to win a championship, I feel like none of the records or any of it is completed without a championship,” It looks like Alyssa Thomas’ wait for her first WNBA title will continue, as the Las Vegas Aces delivered another crushing blow to the Mercury. In front of 17,071 fans at the Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix fought hard, but the Aces kept them just out of reach, leaving the series dangerously close to a sweep.

The Mercury fell behind by as much as 17 points but mounted a fierce comeback, outscoring Las Vegas 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner spearheaded the rally, but it was A’ja Wilson’s buzzer-beating turnaround jumper that ultimately sealed the Mercury’s fate.

Thomas, clearly unhappy with the performance, was asked about the fourth-quarter surge. She replied, “You know, it took us too long to wake up and play defense. I think the second half is our basketball and how we play. So, shame on us for not coming out the way that we needed to come out.”

The Mercury entered Game 3 with a new plan to try to contend with Wilson, moving Thomas to guard Chelsea Gray and sticking with Natasha Mack on Wilson. But Natasha Mack had extreme problems dealing with Wilson as she had a field day going 11/20 from the field while also grabbing 14 rebounds.

The Mercury got off to an unusually slow start, a stark contrast to their usual strong starts in this series. Down by 17 heading into the fourth quarter, they fought back valiantly, erasing the lead against all odds–but it still wasn’t enough. Thomas, who struggled throughout this series after recording her lowest productive outing of the playoffs with just 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists in Game 2 and missing the two crucial free throws that could have given them the win in Game 1, finally found her rhythm in Game 3.

She came just one assist shy of her sixth career playoff triple-double, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals. But with the Mercury hitting only 33% from three, being out-rebounded by the Aces, committing more turnovers, and allowing six extra points off those turnovers, they never truly gave themselves a chance to win the game.

They needed a stronger start, but it was too little, too late, a point her fiance didn’t hesitate to highlight as well.

DeWanna Bonner supports Alyssa Thomas

Comebacks have practically become the Mercury’s trademark this postseason. Against the defending champions, they clawed back from a Game 1 loss. Facing the Lynx in the semifinals, they again bounced back from 0-1 down to win. By now, you can only imagine how exhausted–both mentally and physically–these players must be.

That’s exactly what DeWanna Bonner emphasized in the post game press conference. Standing up for Thomas, she said, “I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing all playoffs, just fighting our way back into it. … Like Alyssa (Thomas) said, we can’t start that way, especially not against them.”

The Mercury have one final shot to salvage something from this series. No team in WNBA history has ever come back from 3-0 down to win a championship. At this stage, it feels less like a challenge and more like a near-impossible task. Thomas has already lost a Finals series to the Aces, and as things stand, she’s staring down the prospect of another heartbreak at the hands of A’ja Wilson and co.

Can the Mercury at least keep the series alive in Game 4, or are we staring down a sweep? What’s your take? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!