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The Commissioner’s Cup is now well underway, and three games were on the schedule on Tuesday night.
In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm were able to pull out wins against the Phoenix Mercury and the Dallas Wings, respectively. In the Eastern Conference, it was the Indiana Fever who emerged victorious against the Washington Mystics.
No Caitlin Clark, no problem for Fever
Since Caitlin Clark has been sidelined with a quad injury, wins had been hard to come by for the Fever. Entering Tuesday’s game, they had lost their last two contests without Clark, and while the Mystics aren’t a top team, they are young and talented.
Despite the challenge of beating a hungry Washington squad, Indiana got it done, winning 85-75 at home. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with a game-high 24 points on 50 percent shooting. The Fever also got a strong showing from Lexie Hull. She ended the night with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Another player who stepped up was Aari McDonald. The former Los Angeles Spark signed a hardship deal with the Fever and was immediately slotted into the rotation and shined. She played for 27 minutes, scoring seven points and recording a team-high five assists.
“It felt good tonight to finally get back […] Grateful we got the win.”
Aari McDonald spoke with the media after finishing with 7 points, 5 assists & 3 steals in her first game with the team. pic.twitter.com/bW7qiWB221
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 4, 2025
McDonald staying ready and excelling in this moment is a prime example of how setbacks can set up your comebacks. Thanks to her contributions, the Fever are now 1-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play.
On the Mystics front, Brittney Sykes had another 20-point game as did Kiki Iriafen, but it wasn’t enough to pull out the win.
Lynx dynasty loading…
Minnesota has been a buzz saw this season, and Tuesday was no exception. They dominated Phoenix, winning 88-65. With this victory, the Lynx are not only the top team in the Western Conference in the Commissioner’s Cup standings, but they are 8-0 and the best team in the WNBA. (At least until the Liberty’s next game.)
Natisha Hiedeman was sensational in this game. She came off the bench and scored 18 points, shooting a whopping 70 percent from the field. Napheesa Collier matched that production with 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Lynx cruised to victory.
The Mercury are still without key players Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper, and they struggled to put points on the board. Phoenix only scored more than 20 points in the opening quarter. Lexi Held scored 16 points off the bench and Satou Sabally added 15, but until they get at least one of their other two stars back, winning might be a challenge for the Mercury.
Gabby Williams leads Storm surge
Seattle had no trouble defeating a Paige Bueckers-less Dallas team. Behind a strong second half, the Storm won 83-77 and are now 1-1 in the Commissioner’s Cup and .500 on the season.
So far, Seattle’s record is an accurate representation of what they’ve been. When things are going well, they can beat some great teams, and when the offense sputters, they can lose to just about anyone.
On Tuesday, Gabby Williams kept the offense running smoothly. She had 18 points, four assists and three steals. Williams didn’t do it alone, however. Nneka Ogwumike scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win.
With Bueckers out, DiJonai Carrington carried a larger offensive load. She scored 21 points, and Myisha Hines-Allen contributed 16 on 6-for-9 shooting.
Dallas was in a position to compete for a win, but in the fourth quarter, they fell apart. Seattle went on a 10-0 run and took control of the game early in the final period. The Wings never challenged the Storm again, and the result went in Seattle’s favor. As the season progresses, Dallas will have to find ways to win these kinds of games—or else they’ll remain at the bottom of the league standings.
