Let’s get this out of the way off the top.
Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson did not play in the Commissioner’s Cup final on Tuesday night at Barclays Center while dealing with an ankle injury. And as such, it’s tricky to make total sense of the result, even in a rivalry matchup heads above any other teams’ clashes in the past four years.
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Had the New York Liberty yet again fallen to a hobbled Las Vegas Aces squad — and that quite nearly came to pass — then we’d have a much different story. (Though the Liberty were also without a starter while Satou Sabally remains in concussion protocol.) But New York defended its home court — a rarity in the Cup final — and netted major prize money with a 93-85 victory in the midseason tournament’s championship game.
The Liberty are the first two-time Cup winners, and Breanna Stewart became the first two-time Cup MVP with a stat line of 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. The three-time Cup champion won it in 2021 with the Seattle Storm, the first-ever Cup champions. Jonquel Jones was named MVP when the Liberty defeated the Aces in 2023.
Will we see another Liberty-Aces Finals?
With appropriate respect to the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, as well as nods to the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream, all signs point toward another Liberty-Aces postseason clash. We’ve seen it time and again with an embarrassment of talented riches on both sides.
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“We’re always playing each other in big moments,” Young said. “Whether it’s [Finals] championships, Commissioner’s Cup championships, things like that. But it’s always a great game.”
They’re nearly identical in net rating due to opposite issues. The defensive-minded Aces have room to grow on that end, while the Liberty’s offense will improve with lineup continuity.
Here’s the historical rub: Winning the Cup final does not portend more championship success. Which does not mean it won’t happen, just that there is precedent the other way.
The 2022 Aces are the only Cup-winning squad to go on to win the WNBA Finals in the same season. It’s actually more likely the loser will win the season. The Aces defeated the Liberty in the 2023 Finals despite missing two of their starters in Game 4. The Liberty, after losing to the Lynx in 2024, won the title that year.
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It’s also interesting to consider what this series looks like by the time the playoffs roll around after the international break for the FIBA World Cup. Wilson should be back and healthy. Sabally will hopefully also be back in the lineup, considering what is now a concerning second concussion in eight months.
Reserve wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton did not play on Tuesday, either. Liberty first-year head coach Chris DeMarco said she is healthy, and it was his decision based on tightening up the rotation.
“Sometimes we play a team and they’re healthy, you have an understanding of what the rotation is going to look like,” DeMarco said. “Are they going to play small? Are they going to play big? Tonight, we had no idea obviously with A’ja out, so a little bit more unpredictable than normal.”
Liberty need this version of Sabrina Ionescu
The dagger fittingly came off the hands of Sabrina Ionescu, launched from the edge of the sideline Coinbase logo. Her fifth 3-pointer of the game secured the win after Jackie Young’s missed layup could have made it a one-possession game. And in turn, it showcased one final time how important the 2025 MVP candidate is to the success of this squad.
“Her game never takes me by surprise,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said. “She’s too good. And by the way, I don’t know if anybody’s noticing this crowd, she likes big moments and big shots.”
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True, and true. It’s not the first time the Aces have seen this up close, but it is a refreshing sign for the other side that’s gone largely without their foundational guard.
It was merely the ninth game Ionescu played in this season while dealing with a preseason ankle injury and an in-season back issue. By the end of the first quarter, she had hit a season high with 17 points, including the team’s first eight points of the game. Her previous high was 16 in an 87-76 win over the Aces last week.
The Aces quieted her in the second half, and she finished with 26 points, shooting 9 of 19 (5 of 13 from 3) with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
“You only had five assists, but it feels like you had 10,” Stewart told her point guard, before crediting her continued boost in confidence off injury. “But probably five of those were to me, so shoutout to you.”
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She’s averaging 9.5 points in 27.6 minutes per game, and shooting poorly from the outside at 27%. Pauline Astier (15 points), a first-year international player, is a key first-half highlight for the Liberty while they’ve weathered that injury storm.
Jackie Young leads resilient Aces fight
Chelsea Gray took issue with any semblance of an idea that the Aces wouldn’t come in expecting to win despite going without Wilson. Las Vegas fought back from down 17 points to tie it at 8:23 of the fourth quarter, and take a slim lead for the first time since the first minutes of the game.
“We knew that punch was coming from Vegas just because of how incredibly talented their players are,” Stewart said. “And we continued to stay with it.”
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The Liberty’s 10-0 run for a 79-71 lead at 4:51 ultimately gave them the win, quelling a valiant charge by the Aces’ own lead guard. Jackie Young scored a game-high 31 points with 7 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.
“It wasn’t a conversation or anything,” Young said. “I think it was just a mentality.”
Hammon said she was proud of the way they competed, but they needed one more player to have a big game. Unsaid: the player who usually takes care of that in these games sat on the bench in street clothes. Without her, the Aces went small by inserting Jewell Loyd into the starting lineup. But the four starters outside of Young combined for 21 points, led by Smith’s nine. They were beat on the boards, 32-20.
Chennedy Carter scored a much-needed 18 off the bench, shooting 50%. One of the quickest guards in the league, Carter needs to stay available for the Aces to make a championship run down the stretch.
