Aces set for Commissioner's Cup championship rematch with New York
Arion Armeniakos
Host · Writer
Back to the Commissioner’s Cup final they go.
The Las Vegas Aces (11-4) defeated the Phoenix Mercury (4-12) on the road, 86-76, on Wednesday night to seal their return to the championship game for the first time since 2023.
The victory was the Aces’ (6-1) sixth in the competition, setting up a rendezvous with a familiar foe, the New York Liberty, on June 30 for all the marbles. With both teams having identical records (11-4), the Liberty will host the clash due to having a better point differential.
Vegas needed a win against Phoenix to progress after losing by 30 to the Dallas Wings on Monday. The Aces delivered a bounce-back performance powered by another double-double (33 points, 11 rebounds) from A’ja Wilson.
The four-time MVP added three assists, five steals, and two blocks — recording her third career 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ steals game. Nobody else in WNBA history has ever had more than one such game. Wilson also has 15 more 30+ points, 10+ rebounds games (33) than any other player in league history.
NaLyssa Smith (21) and Jackie Young (20) combined for 41 points, helping A'ja and the Aces, who lacked bench scoring (4).
Smith’s outing was her second-highest points total of the campaign. Her season-high was 22 points against Los Angeles on May 23. Young went 4-8 from three-point range and added two rebounds, nine assists, and five steals. Chelsea Gray chipped in with nine dimes.
“I think it started with training camp. She came in ready,” Young said of Smith’s growing impact all over the floor this year. “She was in better shape. She was locked in, and that’s showing. She knows our system now, too, so being more comfortable and just the work that she put in the off-season.”
The Aces had to overcome a few obstacles — including coming from behind at half-time — to secure the win. The Mercury was boosted by 32 bench points while shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc and 93 percent from the line. Kahleah Copper paced the hosts with 26 points.
In contrast, the Aces shot 5-21 from deep and 19-25 at the charity stripe — but still outscored Phoenix 41-27 in the second half after trailing 49-45 at the break. Wilson had 18 and Young had 12 after two quarters.
“That was a next-level type of effort on the defensive end [in the second half],” head coach Becky Hammon said. “[Wilson] and [Young] and everybody that came in did a really great job [at] being disruptive. We got our hands on a lot of basketballs. 18 steals has to be some kind of a record for us.
“Just being disruptive and active, that’s what I’ve been asking for. And they really came out in that second half and did it at an elite level.”
The 18 takeaways by the Aces were the most by any team this year as they leveled their season series against the Mercury at one apiece after Phoenix spoiled Vegas’ Ring Night on May 9 with a 99-66 win.
Looking ahead to the Cup finale, the Aces or the Liberty will become the first repeat champs after there has been a different winner since the competition was introduced in 2021.
Las Vegas and New York have both been to the championship game twice. The Aces won in 2022 and lost in 2023 — to the Liberty 82-63. The Liberty then went back to the final in 2024 and lost to the Minnesota Lynx, 94-89.
Asked about her mindset going into the game, Hammon said: “Obviously, I like winning games. … There’s a bit of money on the line [for the players], I love that.
“Of course, the league and the people probably want to see New York vs. Vegas, so I think it’s good for the fans. [New York] has been a tough place for us to play the last few years, so it’s going to be a great battle. [The Liberty] is playing really well right now.”
