Whitcomb's fairytale year on the brink of ending

• The Phoenix Mercury are down 3-0 in the WNBA Finals after a 90-88 loss to Las Vegas in game three
• Sami Whitcomb played 25 minutes off the bench but struggled from the field
• WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson had 34 points, including the game-winner

Australian Opals star Sami Whitcomb and the Phoenix Mercury are on the brink of elimination after the Las Vegas Aces took a 3-0 lead in the WNBA Finals following a 90-88 victory thanks to a game-winner from MVP A'ja Wilson in the dying stages.

The win puts Las Vegas just one win from the WNBA championship and also has Whitcomb just 48 minutes away from a fairytale 2025, where it was possible for her to claim her first WNBL championship with the Bendigo Spirit, a WNBL MVP and a title in the US.

Game three in Phoenix was a tough night for Whitcomb, playing 25 minutes off the bench but going 0-from-5 from the field and 0-from-4 from beyond the arc. She did dish out three assists and was on the floor when the Mercury came back from a double-digit deficit to tie the game up within the last minute.

Mercury star Khaleah Copper put on a fourth quarter performance to remember as the home side fought back from a seemingly devastating deficit with the guard torching the Aces' defence attacking the basket for and-one opportunities and hitting a contested three to ignite the Phoenix crowd.

Phoenix had a 29-14 final period to get back in the game.

But Alyssa Thomas, who was a WNBA MVP candidate for the Mercury, missed a tough driving runner to put Phoenix up with less than one possession left in the game.

The Aces ran the clock all the way down to just five seconds before a timeout from coach Becky Hammon, where she drew a play for Wilson and the MVP responded, making a tough contested mid-range shot to hand Las Vegas a two-point lead with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock.

With just enough time for a catch and shoot opportunity left on the clock, the Mercury weren't able to generate a good look with DeWanna Bonner forced to shoot a turnaround jumper from the post to tie the game but it missed.

Wilson once again proved the difference for the Aces with 34 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Former Perth Lynx WNBL import Jackie Young also had 21 points for Las Vegas.

Satou Sabally was Phoenix's best for majority of the game, until late in the fourth when she left the game with a head injury, scoring 24 points along with five rebounds and three assists. Copper had 17 points.

The Mercury will be looking to stay alive when they host the Aces in game four on Saturday at 11am (AEDT).