The Liberty and Las Vegas Aces have combined for just nine losses out of 60 games.
Tuesday, the two juggernauts will play their most pivotal matchup yet.
Carrying the best records in the Eastern and Western Conference, the Liberty (24-6) and Aces (27-3) will for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup in Las Vegas (9 p.m., Amazon Prime).
The last time the league’s top two teams met, the Liberty proved they not only belong in the same conversation as the Aces — who are winning at a historic pace — but they might just be better.
The Liberty embarrassed Las Vegas at Barclays Center on Aug. 6, leading by as much as 42 points in a 99-61 throttling that featured Sabrina Ionescu pouring in 31 points.
“We got our ass kicked in New York,” Aces guard Kelsey Plum said Monday. “It’s humbling, and we have to come out and show a lot more of who we are. And I think that this is an opportunity to do that.”
All bets are off Tuesday when each star-studded squad lines up for the Commissioner’s Cup, the third-annual midseason WNBA competition that puts prize money (up to $30,000 per player on the winning team and $10,000 per player on the runner-up) and additional charity money on the line for the league’s best two teams in a winner-take-all championship game.
Last season, the Aces won the Commissioner’s Cup, 93-83, defeating the Chicago Sky en route to the franchise’s first WNBA trophy.
Las Vegas comfortably managed the Liberty the last time they visited Michelob ULTRA Arena, winning 98-81 in late June behind a strong effort from their starters, all of whom finished in double digits.
“It’s about making adjustments. We can’t just go out there and expect the same game plan that helped us in Game 2 to beat them in Game 3,” Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot said. “They’re just too good. And so we’re making adjustments to put out a better product for Game 3 — like a chess match.”
The rivalry between the teams — which WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert said was “really important” for the league’s popularity before the Liberty’s win this month — appears to have just begun.
The Liberty and the Aces will clash four times throughout August, with two more matchups coming after Tuesday’s championship bout.
For the Liberty to hold off reigning MVP A’ja Wilson and a playoff-tested Aces squad that is undefeated at home, they’ll need every aspect of their winning formula to be firing, including top-notch performances from their superstars Breanna Stewart and Ionescu, as well as elite 3-point shooting.
The Liberty lead the league with 11.1 3-pointers a game.
“Obviously, the most important trophy won’t be won [Tuesday],” Ionescu said, referencing the team’s larger goal of a WNBA title.
“Just understanding it’s a stepping stone in the right direction and it’s a goal we’ve had to start the season and being part of this organization, kind of from the bottom, and now working its way to the top, it’s always nice to see the steps we’ve taken to be able to compete at the highest level and to be in this game.”
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