The Cup Chase- Volume 13
WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

The Cup Chase- Volume 13

Published on June 17, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


Your Daily Notebook on the WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase Volume 13: Winner Tak e All Welcome to Day 13 of The Cup Chase.

16 days ago, the pursuit of a spot in the Championship Game of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase began. Tonight, we'll finally learn who will join the New York Liberty on June 30.

The Liberty secured the Eastern Conference berth earlier this week, but the Western Conference race remains wide open entering the final night of Cup play. Las Vegas controls its own destiny. Minnesota is still alive. Dallas still has a path. By the end of the night, one of those three teams will have punched its ticket to the Cup Championship and will compete for a share of a $500,000 prize pool.

The drama doesn't stop there. Home-court advantage for the Cup Championship is also on the line tonight, with multiple scenarios still in play depending on tonight's results. Every possession matters.

Every point matters. And we couldn't have asked for a better finish to this year's Cup race.

Before we turn our attention to the most consequential night of Cup play, let's take one last look back.

The Daily Recap The Indiana Fever closed out their Commissioner's Cup campaign defeating the Toronto Tempo, 113- 91, and finishing Cup play with a 5-1 record. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 27 points, while Aliyah Boston added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Caitlin Clark continued her strong season with 21 points, 14 assists and five rebounds, and Sophie Cunningham delivered one of her best performances of the year, scoring 24 points while knocking down six of her seven three-point attempts. The victory also secured an additional $3,000 donation, bringing Indiana's total Cup contribution to $16,000 for Coburn Place, the organization's selected nonprofit partner.

Top Performer of the Night

Kelsey Mitchell recorded 27 points and hit three three-pointers as the Fever wrapped Cup play at 5-1.

Games to Watch Tonight

Washington Mystics @ Connecticut Sun

WNBA League Pass, 7:00 PM ET

New York Liberty @ Chicago Sky

USA Network, 8:00 PM ET

Dallas Wings @ Golden State Valkyries

WNBA League Pass, 10:00 PM ET

Minnesota Lynx @ Los Angeles Sparks

WNBA League Pass, 10:00 PM ET

Las Vegas Aces @ Phoenix Mercury

USA Network, 10:00 PM ET

Seattle Storm @ Portland Fire

WNBA League Pass, 10:00 PM ET

Storylines We're Tracking

The final day could come down to point differential. While wins are the priority, every possession matters tonight as multiple tiebreaker scenarios remain in play across the Western Conference race and the home-court clinch race.

Three teams enter the night with a path to June 30. Las Vegas controls its own destiny, Minnesota needs help and a win, and Dallas remains alive if the right combination of results and point differential fall its way.

The three teams still alive in the Western Conference race enter the final day ranked first, second and third in the WNBA in offensive rating: Minnesota (114.1), Las Vegas (111.2) and Dallas (110.4).

The Aces are one win away. Las Vegas can clinch the Western Conference with a victory in Phoenix, but the Mercury have already proven they can compete with the league's best behind stars Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper.

A'ja Wilson vs. the Phoenix interior defense. Wilson enters the final day leading the WNBA in scoring (25.6 PPG) and blocks (2.21 BPG), while Phoenix ranks among the league's best teams at protecting the paint and limiting free throws.

Minnesota's mission is simple: win and keep the pressure on. The Lynx lead the WNBA in offensive rating, field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage and three-point percentage, and must take care of business in Los Angeles to keep their Cup Championship hopes alive.

Olivia Miles continues to shine on the biggest stages. The rookie leads all eligible first-year players in points, assists, steals, and enters tonight after helping Minnesota stay alive with a strong performance against Portland.

Dallas still has a path. The Wings stunned Las Vegas on Monday and now need another win, plus help elsewhere, to keep their Cup Championship dreams alive.

The battle in the Bay may determine whether Dallas gets its chance. Golden State leads the WNBA in bench scoring and three-point attempts, while Dallas enters riding one of its best stretches of the season behind Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Azzi Fudd, and Jessica Shepard.

Conference Clinch Scenarios The Eastern Conference representative in the Championship Game of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase will be the New York Liberty. After a 5-0 start to Cup play, the Liberty clinched their spot on Sunday with a win over Washington.

Tonight, all eyes turn to the Western Conference. To represent the Western Conference in the Cup Championship Game:

Las Vegas clinches with a win OR with losses by Minnesota and Dallas.

Minnesota clinches with a win AND a Las Vegas loss OR Minnesota clinches with losses by both Las Vegas and Golden State AND if Minnesota finishes with a better point differential in Commissioner's Cup games than Las Vegas and Dallas.

Dallas clinches with a win AND with losses by both Las Vegas and Minnesota AND if Dallas finishes with a better point differential in Commissioner's Cup games than Las Vegas and Minnesota.

Every single point matters tonight, as point differential remains an important tiebreaker.

Home Court Clinch Scenarios As a reminder, home-court hosting will be awarded to the conference winner that has the higher winning percentage in all games played through June 17, not just Cup play games. If both conference winners have the same winning percentage, the second tiebreaker is average point differential in all games played. Since we don't yet know who's representing the Western Conference, let's go through the different scenarios:

The Las Vegas Aces (10-4) host if they reach the Championship Game and:

Win while NYL loses OR

Both LVA and NYL win AND LVA finishes with a better regular-season point differential

Both LVA and NYL lose AND LVA finishes with a better regular-season point differential

The Minnesota Lynx (11-3) host if they reach the Championship Game and:

Win OR

NYL loses OR

MIN finishes with a better regular-season point differential

The Dallas Wings (9-5) host if they reach the Championship Game and:

Win AND

NYL loses AND

DAL finishes with a better regular-season point differential

As for the Liberty, depending on who clinches the West, it could come down to a number of tiebreaker scenarios. Let's go through each of those scenarios.

The New York Liberty (10-4) host the Championship Game if: vs. Las Vegas

NYL wins and LVA loses OR

Both NYL and LVA win AND NYL finishes with a better regular-season point differential

Both NYL and LVA lose AND NYL finishes with a better regular-season point differential

NYL currently leads LVA by 57 total points in the regular season

vs. Minnesota

NYL wins and MIN loses OR

NYL finishes with a better regular-season point differential

NYL currently trails MIN by 87 total points in the regular season

vs. Dallas

NYL wins OR

NYL finishes with a better regular-season point differential

NYL currently leads DAL by 14 total points in the regular season

One Last Thing... Tonight, the 49-game Commissioner's Cup schedule comes to a close. Tomorrow, only two teams will remain. The 50th and final game of Commissioner's Cup play will take place on June 30, when the New York Liberty take on the Western Conference representative for the Cup Championship and a share of a prize pool totaling $500,000.

The impact of this tournament extends far beyond the court. Through Commissioner's Cup play, more than $200,000 will be donated to the nonprofit organizations selected by each team, supporting causes and communities across every WNBA market.

From buzzer-beaters and breakout performances to a final night where every possession truly matters, the 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase has once again delivered some of the most memorable moments of the WNBA season to date.

See you on June 30.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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