How the Fever beat the Lynx to win the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

Behind a second dominant quarter in which Indiana fever scored 18 unanswered points, the fever joined, then retained the Lynx of Minnesota to win the 2025 Commissioner Cup in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

And they did it without the leader and the WNBA Caitlin Clark stars, who missed his third consecutive match due to a groin injury.

Natasha Howard collected 16 points and 12 rebounds for fever and was appointed MVP Cup. Indiana dragged 20-12 at the end of the first quarter, but was ahead of Minnesota 20-7 in the second period, holding Minnesota without point for the last 8 minutes, 13 seconds of the first half.

Last year, Minnesota won the Cup final on the road in New York. The outside team won the last four titles of the Commissioner’s Cup.

Here is how the fever won the title of the commissioner’s cup.

Jump to: Analysis and result | Relive the action

Final: Indiana Fever 74, New York Liberty 59

What does this victory for Indiana mean? The fever needed this. With Caitlin Clark on the bench (groin) and Dewanna Bonner, having left the team last week, the Indiana crossed a certain adversity. However, the fever entered the field at home of the first place in the WNBA and closed the Lynx.

Tuesday’s defensive effort was the best that fever was at this end of the field all season, led by Natasha Howard. Defensive player of the year 2019 when she was in Seattle, Howard was one of the main reasons why Napheesa Collier du Minnesota spent a difficult night. Necklace finished 6 out of 18 on the field for 12 points.

“She’s a big player,” said Howard. “But my thing was just to limit it to hard shots, and that’s what I did tonight. I got uncomfortable. I couldn’t do it myself. I had my teammates behind me to help me.”

Howard also obtained his attack after a slow start, finishing with a summit of 16 points to reach 12 rebounds and four assists.

“Tash is a pro under the radar of this league,” said his teammate Kelsey Mitchell. “She won at all levels, and I think we have to give her her flowers a little more.”

The fever guards have also done their job. They maintained the scoring at the first quarter, when the post players Howard and Aliyah Boston (12 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) had trouble establishing themselves. Sophie Cunningham finished with 13 points and her colleagues guard Mitchell and Aari McDonald collected 12 points each.

Obviously, the fever is impatient to get Clark – who has now missed eight games with injuries – in the programming. But Tuesday’s match was an example of how Indiana can play even when she is away.

“Learning to play without it, learning to make big games in difficult times at both ends of the soil, is important,” said fever coach Stephanie White. “This will pour dividends into the sever of the season for us. Caitlin is someone who has often played games for them, and they learn to do this for each other.”

What does this result for Minnesota mean? Necklace, the top scorer in the WNBA, at 24.4 ppg entering the match, had only 12 on Tuesday. She scored two figures in every game this season, except one, when she collected seven points against Las Vegas on June 17, but had to go in the third quarter due to back problems.

Tuesday statistics do not count for the regular season medium -sized players, but it was a line of statistics to which we are not used to collar. She did not speak to the media after the match.

The lynx did not score for the 8:13 am of the second quarter. The last time the lynx made eight consecutive minutes without scoring, it was on August 4, 2011, against San Antonio, the franchise which is now the Las Vegas Aces. It was the season that the Lynx won his first of the four WNBA titles.

“We sometimes tend to get impatient,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, about the offensive difficulties of Minnesota. “Our commitment to move basketball and create advantages … We had trouble doing so.

“We did not have our usual genre of strength, combat and response to physicity. They beat us, give them credit.”

This loss does not harm the lynx in the classification. They are the best in League 14-2 and finished this week with three other home games.

“It is good to consider this as a learning opportunity,” said striker Alanna Smith, who led the lynx with 15 points. “We always want to play our best basketball. So we have to take this game to heart and learn errors that we have made, the way we have presented ourselves, the way we have prepared and we are doing to start again.”

What does that mean for WNBA? It was the fifth final of the commissioner’s cup and the fifth champion. The fever follows the Seattle storm, the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty and Minnesota to win the competition in season.

The event has become something that players look forward to, especially because of the additional price. But it also provides an additional showcase for the league before the playoffs.

Has the fever sent a message by winning this match with Caitlin Clark sidelined? The lynx – which was the most coherent team in the WNBA this season – has shown a certain vulnerability? At least for Tuesday, the answer to the two questions is yes.

This is only a match on July 1 in a long season, so it must be taken into account. But with the rest of the League by looking at Tuesday, the fever – which was outsiders of 10.5 points to come – was a necessary confidence.

It may be the biggest point to remember from this Cup final. As a franchise, the last title of fever was its only WNBA championship in 2012. Now, Indiana has another trophy. – Michael Voepel