The Cup Chase- Volume 4
Published on June 8, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
Your Daily Notebook on the WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase Volume 4: Making A Move Welcome to Day 4 of The Cup Chase.
Toronto and Los Angeles picked up much-needed victories yesterday, keeping themselves firmly in the hunt as the race toward the Commissioner's Cup Championship Game presented by Coinbase continues. We're approaching the midway mark of Cup play, which means every game is beginning to carry a little more weight.
Before we look ahead to tonight's action, let's take a look back at a Sunday that brought a pair of important results in both conferences.
The Daily Recap The Toronto Tempo earned their first Commissioner's Cup victory of the season, taking down the Chicago Sky 85-68 behind another standout performance from Brittney Sykes.
Sykes finished with 25 points, while Nyara Sabally added 15 and Isabelle Harrison made an immediate impact in her season debut after missing Toronto's first 10 games with a thumb injury.
Harrison scored 14 points off the bench as the Tempo improved to 1-1 in Cup play and moved back into the Eastern Conference mix.
Toronto seized control early and never looked back, building a double-digit lead in the opening quarter and maintaining it throughout the afternoon. Despite recording season lows in both three- pointers made and three-point percentage, the Tempo found plenty of offense elsewhere and delivered one of their most complete performances of the season.
Out West, Nneka Ogwumike powered Los Angeles to an 89-72 victory over Portland with 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, while Dearica Hamby added 22 points and 12 rebounds of her own.
Portland kept things close through the first half, but the Sparks took over after the break. Los Angeles outscored the Fire 23-12 in the third quarter before using an 11-2 run in the fourth to put the game away.
For Portland, Megan Gustafson recorded her first double-double since 2023, finishing with 16 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
Top Performers
Brittney Sykes had 25 points - 16 of which came in the second half - seven rebounds, and three assists, leading the Tempo to their first Cup play victory.
Nneka Ogwumike had her third consecutive double-double, finishing with 20 points, 17 rebounds, and two assists, as the Sparks took down the Fire.
Games to Watch Tonight
New York Liberty @ Connecticut Sun
New York looks to get to 3-0 in Cup play, while Connecticut hopes to avoid an 0-3 start.
WNBA League Pass, 7:00 PM ET
Indiana Fever @ Washington Mystics
Both teams are hoping to get to 2-1 in Cup play in this 3-seed versus 5-seed matchup.
Peacock/NBCSN, 7:00 PM ET
Seattle Storm @ Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas hopes to win their fourth straight and improve to 3-0 in Cup play, while Seattle looks to get on the board with their first Cup play win.
USA Network, 10:00 PM ET
Storylines We're Tracking
Both the Fever and Mystics enter tonight at 1-1 in Cup play, but Indiana currently holds a 14- point edge in point differential. A Fever victory would move Indiana to 2-1 and into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference standings, thanks to its head-to-head win over Atlanta earlier in Cup play. Washington, with a win, would need additional help to get to second place after a Cup play loss to the Dream on Saturday.
Both the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun have a chance to play spoiler tonight, as they take on the unbeaten Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, respectively. A Storm and/or Sun win could shake up the Cup rankings significantly and intensify the race to June 30.
All three games on tonight's slate carry significant Commissioner's Cup implications. As the standings tighten, don't just watch who wins - watch by how much. Point differential serves as the second tiebreaker in the event of a three-team tie, and both conferences are shaping up to be that close.
Cup Standings Snapshot Eastern Conference Leading the Way
New York Liberty, 2-0, +23 Next 3: @ CON (June 8), @ ATL (June 11), vs WAS (June 14)
Within Striking Distance
Atlanta Dream, 2-1, +36 Next 3: @ CHI (June 9), vs NYL (June 11), @ TOR (June 14)
Indiana Fever, 1-1, +4 Next 3: @ WAS (June 8), vs CHI (June 11), @ CON (June 13)
Toronto Tempo, 1-1, +2 Next 3: vs CON (June 10), @ WAS (June 12), vs ATL (June 14)
Washington Mystics, 1-1, -14 Next 3: vs IND (June 8), vs TOR (June 12), @ NYL (June 14)
Work To Do 6. Chicago Sky, 1-2, -30
7. Connecticut Sun, 0-2, -21
Western Conference Leading the Way
Minnesota Lynx, 3-0, +57 Next 3: vs DAL (June 9), @ LVA (June 13), vs PDX (June 15)
Within Striking Distance
Dallas Wings, 2-0, +31 Next 3: @ MIN (June 9), vs PHX (June 11), @ PDX (June 13)
Las Vegas Aces, 2-0, +15 Next 3: vs SEA (June 8), @ PDX (June 11), vs MIN (June 13)
Phoenix Mercury, 2-1, -24 Next 3: @ GSV (June 9), @ DAL (June 11), vs LAS (June 13) Work To Do 5. Golden State Valkyries, 1-2, +10
6. Los Angeles Sparks, 1-2, -1
7. Portland Fire, 0-3, -41
8. Seattle Storm, 0-3, -47
For more information on the 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase, please visit https://www.wnba.com/commissioners-cup/2026 .
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 8, 2026
- Caitlin Clark Hits Game Winner in Indiana Fever Road Victory - Indiana Fever
- Sun Struggle in Fourth, Falls 89-80 - Connecticut Sun
- The Cup Chase- Volume 4 - WNBA
- Storm Waives Lexie Brown - Seattle Storm
- Game Preview: Valkyries vs. Phoenix Mercury Commissioner's Cup - 6/9/26 - Golden State Valkyries
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.
