Phoenix Mercury @ Seattle Storm
The Phoenix Mercury visited the Seattle Storm to kick off day 2 of the Commissioner’s Cup. This was a highly anticipated matchup with Skyler Diggins-Smith seeking revenge against her previous team. Diggins-Smith was with the Mercury from 2020-2023 but notably had a multitude of issues with the organization. The original issue stems from the fact that the Mercury didn’t allow her to use any of the facilities while on maternity leave in 2023. Diggins-Smith has been one of the best players in the league consistently and rightfully felt that her treatment was far past inappropriate. The situation coupled with the verbal altercation Diggins-Smith had on the bench with Dianna Taurassi was going to eventually create a storm.
The Seattle Storm without Nneka Ogwumike cruised past the Mercury led by the energy of Diggins-Smith who had 17 points, 4 assists, and got to the free throw line 9 times. She was locked in from the tip-off and let her play do the talking, providing an energetic spark that the Mercury couldn’t slow down. The Storm won the game 80-62 and the Mercury were dominated from the moment the game started. They were kept to only 33% shooting from the field and their frustration was palpable. Taurasi seemed much more concerned about arguing with the refs every chance she got than playing the game. Ezi Magbegor was rewarded with a one-year contract extension and returned the favor to the storm, scoring a game-leading 19 points and 9 rebounds.
New York Liberty @ Chicago Sky
The New York Liberty took down the Sky 88-75 in Chicago. They didn’t forget about their recent loss to the Sky, opening up the game with a 16-point lead after the first quarter. This was largely thanks to the reigning MVP Breanna Stweart. She made the price of WNBA League pass worth every penny scoring in every way possible. She was aggressively getting to the basket, cleaning the glass, and was efficient from the field going 14/25 for 33 points and 14 rebounds to go along with it. Even Lonzo Ball (point guard for the Chicago Bulls) who was in attendance to watch the Sky couldn’t help himself from praising Stewart. His tweet and her highlights from the game are below:
Breanna Stewart Went Off for 33 PTS & 14 REB vs. the Chicago Sky
The Liberty looked excellent for large spurts of the game but continued their trend of building large leads to only eventually let the other team back in the game. The Sky put up a good fight but in the end, were outclassed by the Liberty. Chennedy Carter helped in a big way, scored 16 points off of the bench for the Sky, and was responsible for the initial comeback. Angel Reese had a good game, recording a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but her inefficiency continued, shooting 3/12 from the field. Her skills on the offensive boards jumped off the screen and she is establishing herself as one of the best rebounders in the WNBA. She was also ejected late in the 4th quarter after an exchange with a referee. The Sky will look to bounce back in their next game versus the winless Washington Mystics.
Washington Mystics @ Connecticut Sun
The undefeated Sun returned home to Connecticut to play the Washington Mystics and handled business as usual. They started slowly against a Mystics side that was desperate for a win. The Mystics had the Sun out of sync to start and found themselves with the lead at halftime. As they have been able to do multiple times this season, the Sun turned it around in the second half going on to win the game 76-59. Stephanie White, the coach of the Sun and reigning Coach of the Year deserves a lot of credit for the in-game adjustments this team has been able to make. Dewanna Bonner continued her dominance, notching 20 pts and 8 rebounds. With Brionna Jones fully healthy after her previous Achilles injury this team is only getting better. They remain undefeated and have their eyes set on winning the Commissioner’s Cup. The two teams find themselves on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings for the cup, with the Sun tied for first and the Mystics tied for last.
