The mantra is loud and clear from Las Vegas Aces’ in-arena hype man Joe Brown before every game: “We don’t just cheer when we’re winning; WE-CHEER-TO-WIN.”
Saturday night, the Aces gave the crowd inside Michelob Ultra Arena plenty to cheer about. The defending champs dominated the first quarter and then survived a late rally from the Minnesota Lynx to pull out a 100-97 statement win behind A’ja Wilson‘s seventh double-double of the season. The reigning MVP finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Chelsea Gray added 23 points, Jackie Young scored 16 and NaLyssa Smith chipped in with 15.
While Minnesota was impressive in its comeback bid after falling behind by 15, the Aces weren’t going to be denied in yet another chapter of what’s become one of the best rivalries in the WNBA.
Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles was highly impressive, finishing with a game-high 29 points for the Lynx, while Natasha Howard added 22 points and nine rebounds. Former Ace Kayla McBride had 19 points, and Courtney Williams added 17.
OLIVIA. MILES.
SHE GETS THE @minnesotalynx THE LEAD (97-96) WITH THIS THREE! https://t.co/rxJpBTY8Tj pic.twitter.com/e1eJe8telk
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 14, 2026
The victory moved Las Vegas into first place in the WNBA standings. Both teams are 10-3, but the Aces now own the head-to-head.
Most importantly, the Aces are now in the Western Conference driver’s seat for the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
“These are two really good teams,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “I mean, just going blow-for-blow. We knew they were going to make a run; they’re not going anywhere. … They’re a well-oiled machine.
“I’m not going to sit there and say we’re the best. We want to be the best version of ourselves every time we step out on the court and let everybody else do the talking.”
And with that, the saga continues.
What Rivalry?
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve never thought of the Lynx and Aces as a Western Conference rivalry.
True, the states are thousands of miles apart, and there’s a big difference between the “Entertainment Capital of the World” and the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”
Las Vegas will always be known for The Rat Pack, while the Twin Cities will always be drenched in Prince’s Purple Rain.
WNBA-wise, the Aces have always been linked for rivalry banter with the Los Angeles Sparks. Possibly the Phoenix Mercury, since Arizona is a neighbor, and not to mention, after last year’s Finals. As for the Lynx, well, come to think of it, who are their rivals? Chicago and Indiana are closest in distance, but they’re in the East. And none of the other Western Conference teams are that close in proximity.
The fact is, the Aces and Lynx have been the best teams in the West over the past few years.
“I think when you talk about professional sports, and you talk about our league, people tune in for specific matchups,” Gray said. “Over the years, you’ve seen Stewie (Breanna Stewart) and A’ja, you’ve seen Phee (Napheesa Collier) and A’ja, and so a lot of that has to do with that as well. And two franchises that have competed at a high level and have been successful and have had championship experience.”
Aces-Lynx Set the Standard
Since moving to Las Vegas, the Aces are 15-12 against the Lynx, but heading into Saturday, the Lynx had won six of the previous seven meetings. That includes Minnesota’s unfathomable 53-point destruction in Las Vegas last August.
After that, the Aces raced past everyone down the stretch and ended up winning their third championship in four years. That was one year after the Lynx lost to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals.
“They have championships,” Reeve said. “We don’t have championships over the last (nine) years. So, you know, they’ve been somebody that we’re all trying to beat.”
And as Gray alluded to, there’s been the ongoing debate the past couple of years as to who the best player in the league has been, be it Wilson, Collier, or Stewart.
The crowd inside Michelob Ultra Arena didn’t get the chance to see arguably the league’s two best overall players compete, as Collier is still recovering from offseason surgery on both ankles.
That made Saturday even more intriguing, considering the Lynx have done what they’ve done without Collier.
“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised because they have a system in place, her system,” Hammon said, crediting Reeve. “And her system, year after year, puts a really great product on the floor. Obviously, adding Phee whenever she comes back makes them even way more dangerous.”
Back to Saturday
The Lynx arrived in Las Vegas with the No. 1 scoring defense, holding teams to 78.2 points per game, while they were the only team holding the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting, a quiet 37.9% from the floor.
The Aces got the memo.
Then shredded it.
Las Vegas hit 61.9% from the floor to start the game, taking a 32-21 lead after the first quarter.
The Lynx answered by outscoring Las Vegas 30-25 in the second quarter. The two were nearly even in the third, the Aces outscoring Minnesota 21-20.
The Aces hold on in an ABSOLUTE THRILLER!
They take down the Lynx 100-97
@LVAces pic.twitter.com/5XgfrIrbzQ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 14, 2026
Then things got fun.
That’s when we saw why Miles would win Rookie of the Year if the award were being given out right now, going at Wilson fearlessly every time the Aces star came to the top of the key. Late in the fourth, she challenged Wilson at the rim, drew a foul, and converted a three-point play to give the Lynx their first lead of the game.
As Hammon said, “blow-for-blow,” as if it were a middleweight championship fight like the ones that were once held in the same building, with everybody throwing haymakers and nobody going down.
It would take late free throws from Jewell Loyd and Wilson to seal the win and close the book on one of the best games of the season.
Another chapter complete, in what’s become a rivalry we all need in the WNBA.
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
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