Yesterday was a busy Sunday in the WNBA and marked the start of the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup with a four-game slate. The Commissioner’s Cup is an in-season tournament that breaks the league into two conferences with the top seeds of each competing for a spot in the championship on June 25th for a chance to win a $500,000 prize. Each team accumulates donation dollars throughout the cup for a chosen charity. On top of the prize pool money, each player who makes it to the championship will receive $5000.
Indiana Fever @ New York Liberty
The New York Liberty, reigning champions of the Commissioner’s Cup, kicked things off by hosting the Indiana Fever and notched a 104-68 victory in dominating fashion. After an up-and-down start to the 2024 season, losing at home to the Chicago Sky and away against the Minnesota Lynx the Liberty were excellent on Sunday. Jonquel Jones had a first-half double-double and ended the game with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Four of her teammates also had double figures, most notably Betnijah Laney Hamilton with 20 points. The Liberty had everything going for them while the Fever stumbled into a less-than-ideal situation.
The Liberty happily welcomed the Indiana Fever to the Barclays Center, a team victim to horrible scheduling who were on the second leg of a back-to-back after playing 3 games in 4 days. The defensive woes of the fever continued, they are giving up the most points, 3rd most free throw attempts, and 3rd most 3-point shots made per game. The Fever also struggled to generate offense with only NaLyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell scoring in double figures. Caitlin Clark was held to just 3 points in 29 minutes and also left the game with an ear injury, however, she re-joined the bench and will likely play in the next game versus the Washington Mystics on Friday. Her shooting efficiency is currently poor but her confidence isn’t wavering and a game versus the Mystics who are winless could be the exact thing she needs to get herself going.
Dallas Wings @ Minnesota Lynx
The new-look Minnesota Lynx were next on the schedule and continued to impress with an 87-76 victory over the Dallas Wings. The two backbones of the team, Kayla McBride with 25 points and MVP Candidate Napheesa Collier with 24 points and 14 rebounds led the way. The two key additions of Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams from the Chicago Sky have greatly impacted this young season and fit in seamlessly. They have already beaten the Seattle Storm twice and the New York Liberty once. It will be exciting to see the progress the Lynx make throughout the season. After years of being unable to be competitive in this tournament, they are relishing the chance to make an imprint.
The Dallas Wings came out of the gate strong but were unable to continue their momentum. Led by Arike Ogunbowale, the Wings entered the game with a 3-3 record which may not seem notable but after losing Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard, two all-stars, others have stepped up in their absence to keep the team competitive. Most notably Monique Billings who had 19 points and 14 rebounds versus the Lynx and is averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds on the season, making the most of her opportunity. This was a difficult matchup for them but until the return of their stars, it seems that Arike won’t allow them to slip too far in the standings as she is averaging a league-leading 26 points per game.
Los Angeles Sparks @ Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury got a much-needed 87-68 victory over the LA Sparks. The Sparks had no answer for Diana Taurasi who at the age of 41 dropped 31 pts, shooting a staggering 7/9 from the 3pt line. Before this game, their defense had looked atrocious without Rebecca Allen who missed her fourth consecutive game with a concussion. However, they played excellent defense against the Sparks where it often felt like Dearica Hamby was the only possible threat. The Mercury were able to hold the Sparks to just 7 points in the second quarter and it wasn’t a coincidence that was the quarter Hamby played the least amount of minutes. There will be competition at the guard positions between the rookie Rickea Jackson, Layshia Clarendon, and Lexie Brown. Rickea Jackson has shown glimpses of being a great scorer and seems to have done enough to cement herself in the starting lineup for now. Lexie Brown has had a slow start to the season and it will be interesting to see how she is utilized going forward.
Connecticut Sun @ Atlanta Dream
In the final game of the first day of the Commissioner’s Cup the Connecticut Sun maintained their perfect record with a blowout 69-50 win over the Atlanta Dream. In a matchup that seemed difficult for the Sun as the Dream has a lot of size with Tina Charles and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, they flexed their muscle with a 19-point win. Alyssa Thomas was 2 points shy of a triple-double, showing why she needs to be respected as an MVP candidate again this season. Brionna Jones’ minutes have been increasing which suggests that the Sun will only improve from here, a scary sight for the entire WNBA.
Day two of the Commissioner’s Cup will be on Tuesday. The 8-0 Sun will host the 0-8 Mystics, the Liberty will travel to Chicago to take on the Sky and the Storm will play the Mercury at home in Seattle. Here is the Leaderboard for the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup: 2024 Commissioner’s Cup Leaderboard | WNBA.