The Minnesota Lynx have announced that the team has officially clinched the final spot in the Commissioner’s Cup Final, the WNBA’s annual in-season tournament. Minnesota will represent the Western Conference for the first time since the tournament began in 2021.
Minnesota concluded Commissioner’s Cup play with a 4-1 record against conference opponents in games played from June 1-13. The team’s first victory came against the Dallas Wings on June 2 at home with a final score of 87-76. They tallied another win in Los Angeles against the Sparks that ended 86-62 on June 5. The single loss came in Phoenix with the Mercury connecting on a late go-ahead basket to capture the 81-80 win. Minnesota wrapped their final two Commissioner’s Cup games with wins over the Seattle Storm (83-64) and the defending champions, Las Vegas Aces (100-86) on June 9 and 11, respectively.
The Lynx currently own the best record in the Western Conference at 9-3, opening the season with the franchise’s best start through the first 12 games since the 2020 season. The team is currently averaging a league-high 86.7 points per game, while also leading the league in field goal percentage at 46.2%.
As part of the Commissioner’s Cup platform, the league makes charitable contributions to non-profit organizations aligned with each team’s social justice work. This year’s Commissioner’s Cup will serve as a vehicle to support civic engagement efforts, with an emphasis on the impact of voting on reproductive rights. Through Commissioner’s Cup play, Minnesota has accumulated $13,000 donation dollars for their selected charitable organization, Gender Justice. Gender Justice works to dismantle the legal, political, and structural barriers to gender equity.
(info courtesy of Lynx)