Aces open Commissioner’s Cup seeking revenge for blowout loss
Who: Aces at Seattle Storm
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Climate Pledge Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KWWN 1100 AM, 100.9 FM
Line: Aces -1½; total 163½
About the Aces (3-2): After taking a blowout 102-82 loss at the Storm on Sunday, the Aces bounced back with a 96-81 beatdown of the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night to spoil Kelsey Plum’s return to Michelob Ultra Arena.
Now, the Aces will hit the road in a quick turnaround and look for a better result on the Storm’s turf.
Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson leads the Aces in every major statistical category with 23.6 points per game, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.4 blocks.
She had a game-high 35 points and 13 rebounds in Friday’s win over the Sparks.
Sunday’s game marks the start of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, which pits teams against their conferences from June 1 until a title game on July 1 between the teams with the best tournament records from each conference.
The two teams in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship will play for a $500,000 prize pool. In addition, sponsor Coinbase has committed $120,000 in cryptocurrency to the pool, including $5,000 for each player in the title game.
The tournament was introduced in 2021. The Aces won it in 2022, then lost in the title game to the New York Liberty in 2023. Last year, the Aces went 2-3 in the Commissioner’s Cup and did not advance to the final.
About the Storm (3-3): The first meeting between the Storm and Aces marked new addition Jewell Loyd’s first time facing Seattle, her former team of 10 years, following the three-team trade that sent Plum to the Sparks.
Although Loyd scored the Aces’ first nine points, the Storm essentially sealed the game by establishing a 58-36 lead at halftime.
Seattle enters Sunday’s game with back-to-back losses. On Tuesday, the Storm lost 82-77 to the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. They then fell to the Atlanta Dream 94-87 on Friday.
Skylar Diggins leads the Storm with 19.0 points and 6.8 assists. Nneka Ogwumike is the leading rebounder at 9.2.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
