Back to the Commissioner’s Cup Championship for Las Vegas after getting revenge in Phoenix

Las Vegas could’ve put on blinders going into Wednesday’s matchup with Phoenix, understanding a win means a midseason championship opportunity.

The Aces finally got to avenge a 33-point opening night loss to the Mercury by beating the same team 86-76 Wednesday, June 17. In fact, the team was coming into play off of its second 30-point loss of the season.

“A-plus in the second half,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “That was a next-level type of effort on the defensive end. Everybody that came in did a really good job of being disruptive.”

A victory means this year’s Las Vegas team has advanced to the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game set for Tuesday, June 30. With the win, the winners of the in-season tournament in 2022 went 6-1 in cup games this season.

Entering the contest, a win was necessary to advance with Minnesota also sporting a 5-1 cup record but held a +97 point differential. The Aces held the tiebreaker after beating the Lynx head-to-head earlier this season.

Now, the cup’s final stage is set and will feature Las Vegas and New York which will serve as a rematch of the 2022 WNBA Finals. That title series was won by the former in four games.

“Obviously, I like winning games,” Hammon said. “They just happen to be Commissioner’s Cup games. The fact there’s a little bit of money on the line for them, I love that. Of course, I think the league probably likes that people want to see New York versus Vegas so I think it’s good for the fans.”

For now, both the Aces and the Liberty are both 11-4 which leaves them tied for second in the league’s standings. The aforementioned Lynx lead everybody with a 12-3 overall record.

As of late, Las Vegas has won six of its last seven games and will look to add to that as it begins a three-game homestand. That stretch will begin Sunday, June 21 from the Michelob Ultra Arena against Golden State.

“The other day we just [had] a stinker,” Hammon said. “So we’re still trying to form our identity out and grind out ways to win basketball games.”

As a team, the Aces held the Mercury to 27 points in the second half powered by a robust defensive effort. Forward A'ja Wilson helped power that defensive boost ending with a season-high five steals and two blocks.

In totality, the team recorded 18 steals and six blocks as a group. As a result, the group went up by double-digits in the fourth and final quarter.

“We got our hands on a lot of basketballs,” Hammon said. “Eighteen steals, I don’t know, that’s got to be some kind of record for us.”

It was a fast start for Phoenix to the tune of a 28-point first quarter that saw the home team shoot 10-of-14 from the floor including four makes from three-point range on five attempts.

At halftime, the Mercury shot 60% collectively with a 7-for-10 mark from deep.

Though Olympians Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas posted 26 points and a 10-point, 11-assist double-double, both were slowed down in the second half. Copper scored 12 of her 26 in the second half while Thomas tallied four points and four assists after halftime.

“Just disruptive and active,” Hammon said. “That’s what I’ve been asking for and they came out in that second half and really did it at an elite level.”

Wilson did it on both ends as well beginning with an eight-point first quarter. By halftime, she matched her point total from the team’s last outing against Dallas with 18 points.

Muscled by 11 made free throws, Wilson finished the night with 33 points on 11-of-20 from the field. That marked the fourth 30-point game of the season for the first-ever four-time league MVP.

In addition, she reeled in 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the year.

“I don’t play basketball in the offseason,” Wilson said. “So it kind of takes me time to warm up and get into the flow of playing five-on-five. Some years, it takes me seven games and sometimes it takes me 17 games.”

Fellow frontcourt player NaLyssa Smith added 21 points after scoring nine in the fourth quarter. She was a point away from tying her season-high while also shooting 80% from the field.

“It’s tons of fun honestly,” Wilson said. “I kind of get the chance to get some assists going. I always feel like the best post passers are post [players]. So anytime I can give an opportunity to let Lyss rock, I’m going to do it.”

Guard Jackie Young scored the first eight Las Vegas points out of halftime as part of her 20-point outing. She also added nine assists which shared in the game-high with backcourt teammate Chelsea Gray.

Collectively, Young and Gray accounted for 18 of the team’s 25 assists in the win.