The Las Vegas Aces have been handed their first home-court loss of the 2023 season, and by none other than the New York Liberty in the Commissioner's Cup championship game.
The Liberty walked away from Michelob ULTRA Arena after a powerful comeback performance with their first-ever Commissioner's Cup title, defeating the reigning champions 82-63. The victory will not count in the regular season standings.
Jonquel Jones earned herself the MVP award for the third edition of the Cup after posting a double-double, 16 points and 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu also inched closer to Diana Taurasi's single-season 3-point record, draining a nasty 30-footer along with two other long balls.
Ionescu is now up to 104 made 3-pointers; she needs to hit 122 to beat Taurasi's record.
MORE: Sabrina Ionescu 3-point record tracker
New York's victory gave it the upper hand in the series against Las Vegas at 2-1. Still, the Aces remain the most dominant team in the league as they search for their second championship, both overall and consecutively.
This won't be the last time you'll see the two superteams duke it out on the court. The Aces and Liberty will square off twice more before the end of the month. One matchup is scheduled for Aug. 17 in Las Vegas and one is scheduled for Aug. 28 in New York.
As a result of New York's win, the WNBA will be donating an additional $10,000 to the Liberty's charity of choice, the Callen-Lorde Health Center. The league will also donate $5,000 to the Aces' charity of choice, NAMI Southern Nevada.
You can read more about the WNBA's support of women's health charities during its 27th season by clicking here.
MORE: How WNBA is making an impact on charities with Commissioner's Cup tournament
The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights for Liberty vs. Aces.
Liberty vs. Aces score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Las Vegas Aces | 11 | 23 | 14 | 15 | 63 |
| New York Liberty | 17 | 15 | 24 | 26 | 82 |
Liberty vs. Aces live updates, highlights from 2023 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game
11:02 p.m.: There will not be a two-time champion in the history of the Commissioner's Cup just yet. The Liberty has defeated the reigning champions, the Las Vegas Aces, for the first title of their own with a final score of 82-63.
10:50 p.m.: A 29-foot and then a 30-foot three-pointer from Sabrina Ionescu, within 40 seconds of each other. Guess she just needed to warm up.
10:40 p.m.: Sabrina Ionescu finally sinks two three-ball and goes nuts, making the Aces pay.
10:35 p.m.: Third quarter ends in the Big Apple's favor, 56-48. One more to go.
10:27 p.m.: Answer: yes. The Liberty sneaks back in the lead 45-43 with two free throws from Sabrina Ionescu.
10:20 p.m.: The Liberty has managed to shrink the Aces' lead to one, pushing their way back to the front. They held the lead for the first 20 minutes, now can they grab it back with 14 to go.
10:14 p.m.: Sabrina Ionescu is now 0-for-5 as the game goes into a third-quarter tie. She has 10 games left to score 21 three-pointers.
10:11 p.m.: All starters have scored in double digits, as well as Alysha Clark who came off the bench for the Aces. Leading is A'ja Wilson with 19, followed by Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum with 18 each for the Aces, Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu with 18 each for the Liberty.
9:52 p.m.: Liberty slips under, down by two at the halftime buzzer. 34-32, Aces thanks to Jackie Young.
9:44 p.m.: Sabrina Ionescu is 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. Not looking good for her record hunt.
9:25 p.m.: Very slow first quarter. Liberty up 17-11 at the buzzer.
9:15 p.m.: Now we're getting somewhere. Aces on the board first, Breanna Stewart sinks a three and the battle for the lead has begun.
9:11 p.m.: Not a super start for these super teams... 0-0 in three minutes.
8:55 p.m.: The starting lineups:
New York Liberty
- Courtney Vandersloot
- Sabrina Ionescu
- Betnijah Laney
- Jonquel Jones
- Breanna Stewart
Las Vegas Aces
- A'ja Wilson
- Kelsey Plum
- Chelsea Gray
- Kiah Stokes
- Jackie Young
8:45 p.m.: Sabrina Ionescu is also on pace to post a league record in three-point shooting. She's aiming to surpass Diana Taurasi's 121, already at 101 and with more to gain tonight.
8:44 p.m.: The Aces are on pace to post the best regular season all-time record, if they win their next 10-11 games. Read about it here.
8:30 p.m.: These are the charities the WNBA teams are supporting.
8:27 p.m.: It's the Liberty's first Commissioner's Cup championship game, while the Aces are coming in as reigning champions. New York had a 7-3 record and Las Vegas a 9-1 record in the cup bracket challenge.
8:14 p.m.: The Aces have come into Michelob ULTRA Arena throwing fits. Take a look at A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray:
𝗛𝗘𝗥 💎@_ajawilson22 // #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/GZCUJ7zV2f
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 16, 2023
#POINTGAWDDDDD stays fly 😎✌️@cgray209 // #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/UEA5Wd5YrV
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 15, 2023
8:06 p.m.: Aces' A'ja Wilson and Liberty's Breanna Stewart have earned player of the week accolades for their respective conferences. Wilson averaged a double double with 29.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game and Stewart held MVP numbers with 31.5 points, nine rebounds and six assists per game.
How to watch the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game
- Live stream: Prime Video
The 2023 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game presented by Coinbase will be streamed live on Prime Video with coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT. Viewers in the United States can stream the game with an Amazon Prime membership, which offers a free 30-day trial. After that, it will cost $14.99 per month or $139.00 per year.
MORE: Best markets for new WNBA team, from Denver to Toronto
What time does the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game start?
- Date: Tuesday, Aug. 15
- Time: 9 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. PT
- Venue: Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas
The 2023 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship Game will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 15. That corresponds to 6 p.m. locally (PT) if you're attending in person at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
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WNBA Commissioner's Cup records
(As of end of competition, July 12)
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1. | New York Liberty* | 7-3 |
| 2. | Connecticut Sun | 7-3 |
| 3. | Atlanta Dream | 6-4 |
| 4. | Washington Mystics | 5-5 |
| 5. | Chicago Sky | 3-7 |
| 6. | Indiana Fever | 2-8 |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1. | Las Vegas Aces* | 9-1 |
| 2. | Dallas Wings | 6-4 |
| 3. | Minnesota Lynx | 5-5 |
| 4. | Los Angeles Sparks | 5-5 |
| 5. | Seattle Storm | 4-6 |
| 6. | Phoenix Mercury | 1-9 |
* competitors in championship game
