Aces Grab No. 1 in Wnba Standings After Lynx Win

The Las Vegas Aces moved to No. 1 in the wnba standings after beating the Minnesota Lynx in a game decided in crunch time. A’ja Wilson settled it at the free-throw line, and Las Vegas also rose to the top of the Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings.

Wilson Seals It For Las Vegas

Wilson won the game at the line after attacking the Minnesota frontcourt in the fourth quarter. That finish gave the Aces the edge in a one-possession game and put them in position to control their own path from here.

The result left Las Vegas in the driver’s seat to advance to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the third time in five years. The Aces need one win in their next two games against Dallas and Phoenix to get there.

Minnesota’s Loss Shifts The Table

For Minnesota, the setback came in the same week the WNBA’s standings tightened across the league. Seven games were decided in overtime or by one possession this week, and this one landed squarely in that pile.

The Aces did more than take one game. They took first place in the league and in the West Cup race, which makes the closing stretch against Dallas and Phoenix the hinge point for the rest of their Commissioner’s Cup path.

Liberty Set The Pace

New York had already clinched its bid to the Commissioner’s Cup final with one game left in the East bracket, and the Liberty carry the league’s longest current winning streak. Breanna Stewart backed that run on Sunday with a career-high seven blocks, becoming the 16th player in WNBA history to record seven blocks in one game.

Over the last five games, New York has posted the best defensive rating in the WNBA, a stretch that keeps the Liberty in the same conversation as Las Vegas even as the Aces sit at No. 1. That is the friction point for the standings race now: Las Vegas holds the top spot, but New York still arrives with form, size and a defense that has already changed the balance of the league.