Who Ran The WNBA This Week: Olivia Miles Is Making History, A’ja Wilson Is Back In MVP Mode, Commissioner’s Cup Chaos Begins
Here are some of the biggest storylines and talking points after about three weeks into the WNBA's historic 30th season.
Black News 
This Commissioner’s Cup is officially here, and it did not take long for the extra stakes to make the regular season feel a little heavier. Cup play runs from June 1 through June 17, with those games counting toward both the regular season standings. The top team from each conference will meet in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game on June 30, so these early June matchups are not just random schedule fillers — they could shape who gets a chance to play for some midseason hardware.
Minnesota still looks like the class of the league. The Lynx are 9-2 overall, 3-0 in Cup play, and riding a seven-game winning streak without Napheesa Collier having played a single game yet. Dallas and New York have both won four straight, Las Vegas is riding a three-game winning streak, and the Aces look like they are starting to settle back into championship rhythm behind A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.
This week also had some real “stop what you’re doing” moments. Olivia Miles set a WNBA rookie record with eight made threes in a game. Breanna Stewart powered the Liberty past Caitlin Clark and the Fever in a gritty comeback. Phoenix finally snapped its long losing streak. Chicago stopped its own slide. And Golden State, even in two close losses, kept showing why the Valkyries are one of the tougher new teams in the league.
WNBA Teams & Players To Highlight This Week
Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota has won seven straight, and the scary part is the Lynx still have not had Napheesa Collier on the floor. They are 9-2 overall, 3-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play, and sitting at the top of the WNBA’s official Power Rankings for the second straight week. The Lynx opened Cup play with a plus-57 point differential through three games, which says they are not just surviving without Collier — they are beating teams up.
Olivia Miles
Olivia Miles is not just the Rookie of the Year front-runner anymore; she is starting to feel like one of the biggest stories in the whole league. Against Golden State on June 4, Miles dropped a career-high 28 points and set a WNBA rookie record with eight made threes as Minnesota beat the Valkyries 87-84. She leads all rookies in scoring and assists, and Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak has a lot to do with how quickly she has taken control.
Dallas Wings
Dallas started the season 1-2, but the Wings have now won four straight and six of their last seven. That is the type of turnaround that makes you look up and realize a team has quietly become a real problem. Dallas is 7-3 overall, 2-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play, and now gets a major test this week against Minnesota. If the Wings can hang with the Lynx, the “Dallas is ahead of schedule” conversation is going to get even louder.
New York Liberty
The Liberty looked shaky a couple of weeks ago, but they closed their seven-game homestand with four straight wins and are back up to No. 5 in the WNBA’s Power Rankings. Their June 6 comeback over Indiana was one of the best wins of the week because New York trailed by 12 late in the third before Breanna Stewart took over. The Liberty are 2-0 in Cup play, but now they have to prove it travels, with seven of their next nine June games away from Barclays Center.
Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart reminded everybody what superstar stability looks like against Indiana. She finished with 30 points in Liberty’s 83-75 win, including 15 in the fourth quarter, while going 18-of-21 from the free throw line. New York did not shoot it well from three, but Stewart forced the issue, got to the line, and helped the Liberty turn a double-digit deficit into their fourth straight win.
Las Vegas Aces
The Aces are starting to look like the Aces again. Las Vegas is 7-3 overall, 2-0 in Cup play, and riding a three-game win streak after beating both California squads — the Sparks and Valkyries — to open Cup action. A’ja Wilson averaged 26.5 points and 14.5 rebounds last week, while Jackie Young averaged 21.5 points and shot 61.5% from three. That is the type of star production that makes Vegas feel dangerous even when the roster is not fully healthy.
A’ja Wilson
A’ja Wilson is very much back in MVP form. She had 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks against the Sparks, then helped the Aces hold off Golden State for their first home win of the season on June 6. Becky Hammon has even had to use Wilson differently because of backcourt injuries, and A’ja still keeps producing like the best player on the floor. That is MVP-level impact: the game plan changes, the lineup changes, and the dominance stays the same.
Golden State Valkyries
Golden State went 1-2 in Cup play this week, but the record does not fully tell the story. The Valkyries beat Portland, then lost to Minnesota and Las Vegas by a combined eight points. That is frustrating, but it also says Golden State is right there against the top tier. The Valkyries are 6-5 overall, and their plus-10 Cup point differential shows they are still competing at a level that makes them more than just a fun expansion story.
Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix finally stopped the bleeding. After dropping six straight games, the Mercury won back-to-back road games against Seattle and Portland to open Cup play at 2-1. The June 3 win over Seattle was especially important because it snapped the skid and gave Phoenix something positive to build on, even as Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper deal with day-to-day injuries.
Chicago Sky
The Sky badly needed something good, and they got it on June 5 against Connecticut. Chicago beat the Sun 85-80 to end a five-game losing streak, with Skylar Diggins scoring 24 points and Elizabeth Williams making key baskets late. The Sky are still searching for consistency, but getting their first home win of the season was a necessary step.
STORYLINES OF THE WEEK
1. The Commissioner’s Cup has already made the standings more interesting.
Minnesota is 3-0 with a massive plus-57 point differential, while Dallas, Las Vegas and New York are all unbeaten in Cup play so far. Atlanta is 2-1 but still dangerous because of its plus-36 differential, and Golden State is hanging around despite two close losses. The Cup is only a week old, but the race already has real separation forming.
2. Minnesota is doing all of this without Napheesa Collier, which should terrify everybody.
The Lynx have the league’s best record, one of the best defenses, a seven-game winning streak, and a rookie point guard who is already breaking records. That would be impressive for any team. But doing it without Collier makes it feel like Minnesota may still have another gear to shift into.
3. The top of the league is getting crowded.
Minnesota is No. 1, but Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas and New York all have arguments for being in the conversation right behind them. Dallas has won four straight. New York has won four straight. Vegas has won three straight. Atlanta is still No. 2 in the Power Rankings and has a big Cup matchup with New York coming this week. This is the part of the season where the early “good start” teams either prove it or get pulled back to the middle.
4. Golden State is learning how thin the margin is against elite teams.
The Valkyries are good, but this week showed them the difference between being good and closing out the very best teams. They lost to Minnesota by three and Las Vegas by five, which is not embarrassing at all — it is actually a sign they belong in those games. But if Golden State wants to crash the Cup race or make noise later in the season, late-game execution against elite teams is the next step.
5. Seattle and Connecticut are entering concern territory.
The Storm have dropped five straight and rank last in points per game, field goal percentage and offensive rating. Connecticut has lost two straight and five of its last six, with the league’s 14th-ranked offense and 14th-ranked defense. It is still early, but both teams need to find something quickly before this turns from a rough start into a season-long hole.
BEST GAMES OF THE LAST WEEK
Phoenix Mercury 72, Seattle Storm 68 — June 3
Phoenix needed this one badly. The Mercury beat Seattle 72-68 to snap a long losing streak, with Natasha Mack scoring a career-high 16 points. It was not the prettiest game, but for a team that had been stuck in a slide, getting a road win and starting Cup play with some life mattered more than style points.
Minnesota Lynx 87, Golden State Valkyries 84 — June 4
This was the Olivia Miles game. Miles scored a career-high 28 points, hit eight threes to set a WNBA rookie record, and helped Minnesota hold off a tough Golden State team for its sixth straight win at the time. The Valkyries pushed the Lynx all night, but Minnesota’s poise and Miles’ shot-making were the difference.
Chicago Sky 85, Connecticut Sun 80 — June 5
Chicago snapped a five-game losing streak and finally gave its home crowd something to celebrate. Skylar Diggins scored 24 points, including 18 in the first half, while Elizabeth Williams came through with two key buckets in the final minute. Connecticut kept it close, but the Sun’s offensive struggles continued as they fell to 2-10.
Las Vegas Aces 84, Golden State Valkyries 79 — June 6
The Aces finally got their first home win of the season, and they had to work for it. Golden State kept hanging around, but Las Vegas closed behind A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, both of whom have been carrying the Aces through the early Cup stretch. It was also another tough close loss for the Valkyries, who are clearly good enough to scare top teams but are still trying to finish those games.
New York Liberty 83, Indiana Fever 75 — June 6
Indiana looked like it had this one for a while, holding a 12-point lead late in the third quarter. Then Breanna Stewart happened. Stewart scored 15 of her 30 points in the fourth, New York outscored Indiana 29-18 in the final period, and the Liberty pushed their winning streak to four. For the Fever, it was a missed opportunity to move to 2-0 in Cup play. For New York, it was a gritty reminder that championship-level teams can win ugly.
GAMES TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS UPCOMING WEEK
Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx — Tuesday, June 9
This might be the best game of the week. Minnesota has won seven straight and sits at No. 1 in the Power Rankings, while Dallas has won four straight and is 2-0 in Cup play. Olivia Miles against a surging Wings team gives this one real “prove it” energy on both sides.
Atlanta Dream at New York Liberty — Thursday, June 11
Atlanta is No. 2 in the Power Rankings, and New York has won four straight, so this is exactly the type of Cup game that could swing the East race. The Dream are trying to stay within striking distance after an early Cup loss, while the Liberty are trying to stay unbeaten in Cup play. This one should tell us a lot about where both teams really stand.
Las Vegas Aces at Portland Fire — Thursday, June 11
Portland’s Cup run started rough, but the Fire still have enough early-season wins to make this interesting. Vegas comes in hot, with A’ja Wilson in MVP mode and the Aces riding a three-game winning streak. For Portland, this is another chance to prove those early wins over good teams were not a fluke.
Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky — Thursday, June 11
The Fever are trying to get back on track after letting that Liberty game slip away, while the Sky are trying to build off their win over Connecticut. Indiana is still defending last year’s Commissioner’s Cup title, so every Cup game matters. And with Caitlin Clark involved, Fever-Sky is always going to carry extra attention.
Minnesota Lynx at Las Vegas Aces — Saturday, June 13
This is the heavyweight game of the week. Minnesota is the hottest team in the league, and Las Vegas is starting to look like Las Vegas again. Olivia Miles and the Lynx defense going against A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and the defending champs is exactly what Commissioner’s Cup basketball is supposed to feel like.
Dallas Wings at Portland Fire — Saturday, June 13
Dallas has been one of the hottest teams in the league, while Portland needs a Cup bounce-back after going 0-3 last week. The Wings are trying to keep climbing into the top-tier conversation, and the Fire are trying to remind everybody that their strong start was real. This is a sneaky good weekend game.
SEE ALSO:
An Open Letter To Caitlin Clark From A Black Woman Who Loves The WNBA
