WNBA: Fever and Lynx earn spots in Commissioner’s Cup Championship game

Entering the final day of WNBA Commissioner’s Cup action, the top spots in the Eastern and Western Conferences were far from decided.

When the dust settled, the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx emerged as top teams from their respective conferences. The two titans will face each other on July 1.

How the Fever clinched

Indiana not only had to beat the Connecticut Sun, but also needed the New York Liberty to come out on top against the Atlanta Dream to earn the No. 1 seed in the East.

The Fever took care of business by beating the Sun, 88-71. Caitlin Clark led the way with 20 points, and Natasha Howard had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Indiana dominated Connecticut and never trailed.

Thanks to New York beating Atlanta 86-81, the Fever secured the top spot in the conference.

The Dream were ahead 66-51 with 2:36 left in the third quarter when the Liberty took charge of the game, going on a 9-2 run to end the period. In the fourth quarter, New York went on a 7-0 run in crunch time to end the game in a win. Sabrina Ionescu was a monster with 34 points, and Breanna Stewart was equally as good, scoring 23.

How the Lynx clinched

Minnesota controlled their own destiny, and a win secured them the No. 1 seed in the West. The best team in the WNBA did just that, coming out on top, 76-62.

Courtney Williams had a team-high 20 points for Minnesota, and Diamond Miller and Natisha Hiedeman led the bench with a combined 24 points. The Lynx dominated in the second half, outscoring the Las Vegas Aces, still without A’ja Wilson, 46-23. The did so despite missing Napheesa Collier, who exited early in the third quarter with a back injury.

Minnesota won the Commissioner’s Cup last year, so now they’ll have a chance to defend their title against the Fever.

A Wings win and other around-the-league results

The Dallas Wings were able to upset the Golden State Valkyries, 80-71. The Dallas backcourt was superb, with Paige Bueckers scoring 20 points and Arike Ogunbowale contributing 19.

At the end of the game, Ogunbowale shared a warm embrace with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. She had some fun on social media, stating that her beef with the legendary coach is now over.

The Mystics beat the Sky 79-72, putting Washington back in the win column. Brittney Sykes carried the offensive load for the Mystics with a season-high 32 points. The Sky frontcourt played well, with Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese both having double-doubles. Cardoso had 18 points, while Reese had 17. In the fourth quarter, the Mystics were able to pull away, outscoring the Sky, 23-16.

The final Commissioner’s Cup game on Tuesday saw the Los Angeles Sparks against the Seattle Storm. With Kelsey Plum out for Los Angeles, they were shorthanded and had no chance of winning. Seattle cruised to a 98-67 win, beating Los Angeles on the road.

Nneka Ogwumike scored a game-high 26 points against her former team, and Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler added 15 points each. On top of all that, Gabby Williams set a franchise record with eight steals.

The Sparks didn’t have much to be happy about besides Azurá Stevens, who ended the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds.