The Las Vegas Aces moved into No. 1 in the WNBA standings this week after beating the Minnesota Lynx, and the result put them in position to control the Commissioner’s Cup race with two games left in that phase. One win in their next two games against Dallas and Phoenix would send them to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the third time in five years.
That is why the standings matter right now. Seven WNBA games were decided in overtime or by one possession this week, another sign that the league is living through a chaos era in which every possession can swing the bracket. The Aces are also leading the Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings, so the margin between first place and a missed chance is already thinner than it looks.
For readers searching WNBA standings today, the sharpest answer is that Las Vegas now holds the top spot and Minnesota has been pushed back into the chase. The Aces’ path is simple in theory and unforgiving in practice: beat Dallas or Phoenix, and they stay in command. Lose both, and the door opens for someone else to take the race out of their hands.
The New York Liberty are chasing a different kind of proof. They clinched their bid in the East bracket with one game to go and carry the WNBA’s longest current winning streak, even though Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones are not at their peaks. That has not slowed them down. Over the last five games, New York has had the best defensive rating in the WNBA, and Stewart added another marker to the stretch on Sunday when she set a career high with seven blocks.
That performance put Stewart in rare company as the 16th player in WNBA history to record seven blocks in one game. It also fit the larger shape of the Liberty right now: the frontcourt remains the team’s anchor, the defense keeps winning the minutes that decide close games, and the roster is finding ways to dominate without waiting for its top stars to hit perfect form.
The contrast at the top of the league is hard to miss. Las Vegas just took control of the standings with a close win, while New York has already secured its place in the East bracket and is doing damage on defense. Between them, the Aces and the Liberty are showing how thin the line is this week between survival and control, and the next result for Las Vegas will decide whether its grip on the Cup race tightens or slips away.
