WNBA: It’s time to admit the Las Vegas Aces are done

Beyond being an intense in-season tournament, the Commissioner’s Cup presents an early opportunity to see who the true contenders are in the WNBA.

Since its inception in 2021, five of the eight teams that reached the Commissioner’s Cup championship game have also made the WNBA Finals. In the past two seasons, both teams that participated in the in-season title game were also the last two teams vying for the championship.

While we are still far away from knowing which teams will make it out of the East and West during this year’s iteration of the Commissioner’s Cup, it’s clear that the Las Vegas Aces are unlikely to be one of them.

On Saturday, they were dominated by the Golden State Valkyries, losing 95-68. The defeat with an essentially healthy roster made it clear who the Aces are: A team with incredible talent that is no longer a giant in the WNBA.

Sure, A’ja Wilson is still an MVP-level player. She had 17 points and six rebounds in the loss. However, the core around her has been underwhelming. Kelsey Plum left, and her replacement, Jewell Loyd, hasn’t been as productive as desired. The Gold Mamba is averaging 10.2 points per game, which would be a career low for the guard.

It’s not just individual statistics that’ve been underwhelming; as a collective, they’ve struggled. Last season, the Aces ranked second in offensive rating at 106.1; this year, they’ve dropped to 99.6, which is eighth in the league. Defensively, they’ve also taken a dip. Las Vegas has a defensive rating of 101.6, which is eighth in the WNBA. During their title defense in 2024, they were sitting at 99.6, which was the fifth best.

At 4-3, there is still time for Las Vegas to turn it around. However, if you are a believer in this team, it’s purely a matter of faith. After seven games of data in 2025, nothing the Aces have done suggests that this is a team that can win a title.

Barring a significant trade, the Aces will be a team that will only win games when Wilson pulls off incredible performances. Their time at the top of the WNBA was thrilling, but they’ve gradually descended over the past two seasons.

The Sky is falling in Chicago

Another tough result on Saturday happened in Chicago. The Sky hosted the first-ever WNBA game at the United Center, taking on the Indiana Fever.

The moment was historic, but the play by the Sky was forgettable. They scored just 52 points as the Fever trounced them, even though they’re still missing their best player in Caitlin Clark.

Indiana had a balanced attack with four players in double figures, including recent hardship signee Aari McDonald, who led the bench with 12 points. Kelsey Mitchell was the leading scorer with 17 points in the win.

For Chicago, there wasn’t anything to highlight, as no player reached double figures. To add injury to insult, Courtney Vandersloot left the game in the first quarter due to a knee injury and did not return.

Phoenix fails to cool a red-hot Gabby Williams

The Seattle Storm took care of the Phoenix Mercury, beating them 89-77.

Gabby Williams had a sensational game for Seattle. She ended the night with 21 points and shot 80 percent from the field. Williams did most of her damage in the first half when she scored 19 points. This was also the 100th start for Williams, an incredible accomplishment for the seven-year veteran.

Skylar Diggins also had a strong game, finishing with 26 points and seven assists. The Storm still have some kinks to work out, but overall, they are off to a solid 5-4 start to the year.

Satou Sabally led the Mercury with 22 points, and rookie Lexie Held again was fantastic off the bench with 14. Held is quickly demonstrating that she’s one of the best players on this Phoenix roster.

The Sun won…but the Wings didn’t

There were two Commissioner’s Cup games on Friday. The Los Angeles Sparks beat the Dallas Wings 93-79, and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Atlanta Dream 84-76.

Los Angeles got the road win over Dallas thanks to the trio of Azurá Stevens, Dearica Hamby and Odyssey Sims. These three combined for 60 points on Friday. The Wings have struggled mightily to start the season and currently have just one win. However, with Paige Bueckers out, it’s tough to judge them until she returns and gets more WNBA games under her belt.

Connecticut got a surprise win over Atlanta. The victory occurred largely due to Marina Mabrey. She put up 34 points, and the Sun put it best with their tweet after their second win of the season.

The Dream got solid performances from Brittney Griner and Rhyne Howard, who both had 18 points, but the Sun went on an 8-2 run midway through the fourth to take control of the contest late.

Currently, the New York Liberty and Fever are on top of the East, while the Minnesota Lynx rule the West in the Commissioner’s Cup standings. On Sunday, the Lynx will test their undefeated streak against the Wings, and the Sun will try for a second-straight win against the Washington Mystics.