Aces Eye Midseason Glory As They Reach The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final

The Las Vegas Aces now have a chance to use the Commissioner's Cup final as a springboard for the rest of the WNBA season, with a high-profile clash against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on June 30 offering both teams a mid-season trophy and valuable play-off style preparation.

Both Las Vegas and New York chase a shared target in this year's Commissioner's Cup final, as each franchise tries to become the first to lift the in-season title for a second time, adding fresh significance to a one-off game that arrives well before the pressure of the October play-offs.

The Aces and Liberty meet with silverware at stake for the second time, after New York won a title clash between the same sides in 2023, while Las Vegas enter this year's showpiece as the only team so far to claim both the Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA championship in the same year, achieved in 2022.

A'ja Wilson believes the Commissioner's Cup final offers exactly the tough environment the Aces need before the decisive stretch of the campaign, framing the game as an early test of Las Vegas' readiness for the play-offs as well as a chance to claim another trophy against a Liberty team in strong form.

Wilson delivered a standout performance to secure Las Vegas a place in the Commissioner's Cup final, scoring 33 points and adding 11 rebounds during an 86-76 win over the Phoenix Mercury, a result that ensured the Aces will travel to Brooklyn for a rematch with New York in the in-season showcase game.

Reflecting on the opportunity in front of Las Vegas, Wilson said: "It'sgood for us to have a chance to compete for a championship midway through the season. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be tough, but I think it also sets us for October. It sets us for August when we have to really buckle in. So we'll get a taste of that. Obviously, New York is rocking and rolling doing what they're doing. So it should be good. It should be fun. The extra game, it just comes with it. I love that."

Wilson's all-round display against Phoenix was supported by strong offensive evenings from teammates, helping the Aces overcome the Mercury and underline their firepower ahead of facing the Liberty, who will again test Las Vegas' defence and composure in a single high-pressure game with a title attached.

The statistics from the win over Phoenix highlighted how several Aces players contributed across the box score in their final Commissioner's Cup group game, numbers that suggest Las Vegas carry multiple threats into the Barclays Center meeting, rather than relying only on Wilson's inside scoring and rebounding presence against New York.

Aces coach Becky Hammon stressed that past success, including the 2022 Commissioner's Cup and championship double, will not guarantee a result against the Liberty, instead pointing to continued daily improvement and a still-developing team identity as the main focus while Las Vegas prepare for another title game against New York.

Hammon explained the approach by saying: "We're still trying to form our identity out and grind out ways to win basketball games. History says that but you still have to go and do the work, so I don't look too much into that as any kind of indication for my team. I always want to be one of the best teams in the league wherever we're playing so our goal is always to try to get better every day. I think it's fun that it's definitely something on the line."

For the Aces and Liberty, this Commissioner's Cup final offers a meaningful test long before the play-offs, with Las Vegas seeking to match New York after the 2023 defeat, and both clubs targeting a second Cup crown while treating the June 30 meeting as early preparation for critical games later in the WNBA season.