The Las Vegas Aces strengthened their position in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup race on Saturday night, beating the Minnesota Lynx 100-97.
The win pushed Las Vegas to 10-3 on the season and extended its winning streak to six games while ending Minnesota’s eight-game run. It also moved the Aces into first place in the Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings.
Despite the offensive fireworks, Aces coach Becky Hammon said the game left both coaching staffs with plenty to evaluate on the defensive end.
“These are two really good teams just going blow for blow,” Hammon said, as reported by Michael Voepel of ESPN. “I’m sure both me and (Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve) are going to be looking at the defensive end. She’s not happy giving up 100, and I’m not happy giving up 97. At the end of the day, it was probably fun to watch. But one of those games that, as a coach, probably drives you crazy.”
A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Chelsea Gray helped close out the game from the free-throw line in the final seconds. Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles turned in a career-best performance with 29 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
The lead changed hands multiple times late. Miles gave Minnesota a 94-93 advantage with 48 seconds remaining, but Jewell Loyd answered by making three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Wilson and Gray then converted key free throws to secure the win.
The game carried extra weight because of the Commissioner’s Cup format. The teams with the best Cup records in each conference will meet in the championship game on June 30. Las Vegas has reached the final twice before, winning the event in 2022 and finishing runner-up in 2023.
“It’s kind of like a midseason measuring stick,” Gray said of the Cup competition, per Voepel. “It’s always good to play for charity and a bigger purpose, and you know everybody likes money, right? If we can get a couple more wins, we put ourselves in a pretty good position to do that.”
The Cup final includes a $500,000 prize pool for players, along with charitable donations designated by the participating teams.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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