Stewart Leads Liberty Into Commissioner’s Cup With Fever Game Today
Fever game today, the New York Liberty clinched their Commissioner’s Cup bid with one game to go in the East bracket, and Breanna Stewart was at the center of it. New York also entered the stretch with the league’s longest current winning streak, while its defense has been carrying the run.
Stewart Puts New York Ahead
Stewart made history on Sunday with a career-high seven blocks, becoming the 16th player in WNBA history to record seven blocks in one game. That came as part of a stretch in which the Liberty have posted the WNBA’s best defensive rating over the last five games.
New York’s backcourt has not been full strength during that run. The Liberty started a rookie and Marine Johannès over the last five games, yet the team still kept winning and stayed atop the East bracket race long enough to secure its bid with one game remaining.
Liberty Frontcourt Drives Run
Stewart and Jonquel Jones were described as the best frontcourt in the WNBA, and the numbers around New York support that claim. Even without both players necessarily at their peaks, the Liberty have kept control of the East and turned that consistency into a Cup berth before the bracket’s final game.
That leaves the rest of the East chasing a moving target. The Liberty already have their place locked, and their current streak has made every remaining result around them a comparison point for teams trying to keep pace.
Aces Chase West Position
The Las Vegas Aces moved into first place in the WNBA standings and the Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings after beating the Minnesota Lynx. That win gave them a path to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the third time in five years if they win one of their next two games against Dallas and Phoenix.
The West remains tighter than the East because the Aces are still protecting their position. If they lose both of their next two games, the Lynx would have the best chance of replacing them in the final, so the bracket race now runs through Las Vegas as much as New York.
