WNBA Notebook: Sky and Aces set to face off in second-ever Commissioner's Cup

With less than a month to go in the WNBA regular season, there are still teams hoping for a last-minute turnaround to clinch a playoff spot, while others are cruising to the finish line.

Whether it’s the Commissioner’s Cup coming up on Tuesday or the turnaround from teams like Minnesota and Los Angeles, there’s still plenty of action to be seen around the league heading into the final weeks of play. 

Chicago takes on Las Vegas for second-ever Commissioner’s Cup title

Last year, the Seattle Storm took down the Connecticut Sun in the first ever Commissioner’s Cup, securing extra prize money on the season. The initiative was introduced through the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, which was fought for in an effort to have more monetary incentives for the league’s athletes.

The prize pool of $500,000 is split between both teams in the final, with the winning team receiving $30,000 per player and the losing team receiving $10,000 per player. The MVP of the game also receives an additional $5,000.

This time around, two new teams will meet for the in-season competition as Las Vegas and Chicago — the only two teams who have clinched playoff spots so far — are set to face off at Wintrust Arena. Both teams won nine of their designated Cup games during the regular season and as the top team in their respective conferences, they each earned a spot.

Chicago and Las Vegas have played one another twice this season, splitting the series 1-1. Las Vegas took the first win 83-76 at Wintrust Arena, but the Sky beat the Aces right back on their own home court as they took a 104-95 win at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The two teams will face off once more in Las Vegas on Aug. 11 after the Commissioner’s Cup.

Rhyne Howard continues to turn heads in her rookie campaign

The 2022 WNBA rookies have not just impressed this year, they've also earned themselves starting minutes and solidified their names in the league as players who are here to stay. Whether it be Shakira Austin’s defensive prowess or NaLyssa Smith’s dual-threat game of clutch rebounding, mixed with an ability to find the rim effortlessly in the post or from the three-point line.

Yet, No. 1 overall pick Rhyne Howard is still very much in the running for the Rookie of the Year title as the Atlanta Dream currently sit fourth in a tough Eastern Conference and eighth overall in the league – good enough for the final playoff spot – thanks to the adjustments they made over the offseason including trading to draft Howard.

Howard averaged 20.5 points per game over her first six appearances on 43.7 percent shooting, including 46.5 percent from three. While her game has slightly dropped off, with the 22-year-old now averaging 15.2 points per game, her impact is still felt.

Her ability to stall on defence, whether it be creating steals or stopping scoring chances, has made her one of the team’s most valuable asset. This is on top of her scoring from all areas of the floor, as well as the playmaking abilities she possesses as a guard.

Minnesota may be down, but they surely aren’t out

Though their three-game losing streak to top-five teams certainly doesn’t help their win-loss record or the look of being 11^th out of 12 teams in the league, Minnesota has finally found some rhythm after struggling the last few months. The team has won four of their last eight games, including wins over both Chicago and Las Vegas.

One of the biggest keys to their game recently has been the resurgence of Aerial Powers, who scored 32 points against Las Vegas, 22 against Chicago and 35 against Phoenix in a win, on top of nabbing 10-plus rebounds against Chicago and Phoenix.

Powers has scored at least 11 points in four of the last five games for the Lynx and is averaging 14.2 points per game this season, trailing only Sylvia Fowles who has been a pillar for the Lynx averaging 15 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season.

While back-to-back games against Connecticut and another against Washington have put the Lynx back on a losing streak, having Powers as a dual-threat to join Fowles and add to a high-power offence with Kayla McBride is just what Minnesota needed to make a late playoff push.

The greatest duo in women’s basketball, one last time

“When you play a team with Sue on it, it is going to be the most well-prepared team. It will be the team that knows the other team the best and is going to put her teammates in the best position to win every single night. It is hard to go against a person like that. She is doing everything to win the game,” said Diana Taurasi, taking the podium with her fellow UConn and USA Basketball teammate as they played against each other during the WNBA regular season for the last time.

The Mercury beat the Storm 94-78, and Taurasi – who has yet to announce a retirement the way Bird and Fowles have – scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists in the win while Bird was held to just two points and five assists.

Taurasi’s score wasn’t even the biggest story of the night as All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith tallied 35 points, with six assists and six rebounds in the win, and future Hall of Famer Breanna Stewart recorded a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Despite all the talent on display in the game, the focus instead was on two opponents, who will always be closer friends than they are enemies on the court, and have shared five Olympic gold medals and celebrated each other as WNBA champions, even when it came at their own expenses.

Bird gets to hold the regular season win title in the friendship with a 25-21 edge in wins, as their 46 games are tied for the most head-to-head regular-season meetings between WNBA players. In the 14 times the two have met in the playoffs, Taurasi gets the title leading 8-6.

“There are a lot of players who play the game for points and rebounds, but Sue plays to win. I think that is a lesson for a lot of people to learn,” said Taurasi. “The game doesn’t matter unless you are playing to win and that is what Sue has always done and she taught me that.”