The 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship game is set for Tuesday, July 1, as Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx welcome Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever to Target Center.
Can The Minnesota Lynx Repeat?
The Minnesota Lynx finished the Commissioner’s Cup standings on top with a 5-1 record. They only had one loss coming from the Seattle Storm, who later fell to the Golden State Valkyries and finished second in the standings.
Last season, the Lynx won the Commissioner’s Cup championship game over the New York Liberty. Additionally, it’s Minnesota’s second time participating in the Commissioner’s Cup final in franchise history. Although a crucial game lies ahead, the Lynx have a bigger goal in mind: winning the fifth WNBA Championship in franchise history.
Throughout the regular season, the Lynx had an undefeated 9-0 start, their best since the 2017 season, when they won the WNBA Championship.
The last time the WNBA had a team win both the Commissioner’s Cup Championship and the WNBA Championship in the same season was in 2022, when the Las Vegas Aces achieved this feat. The question is, could the 2025 Minnesota Lynx join the 2022 Las Vegas Aces as the only teams in WNBA history to accomplish a similar achievement?
The Lynx are ranked second in the league in NET rating per game, with 11.7, first in defensive rating per game (94.7), and third in offensive rating per game (106.4). Minnesota is among the leading teams in the league and is poised for another championship run.
Indiana Fever’s Journey to the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Final
The Indiana Fever won the tiebreaker over the New York Liberty with a 4-1 record based on a head-to-head matchup on Saturday, June 14, when Caitlin Clark returned from injury. In that game, Clark scored 32 points and made seven three-pointers in the victory.
On Tuesday, June 17, the New York Liberty came back to get the victory over the Atlanta Dream, who won over the Indiana Fever based on a head-to-head matchup.
Minnesota Lynx’s X-Factor: Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier tonight 🔥
• 26 points
• 7 rebounds
• 6 assists
• 2 blockspic.twitter.com/0Q4Qkyyf8f
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) June 28, 2025
Lynx star Napheesa Collier has proven she’s one of the most elite in the league. 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, Collier led Minnesota to an impressive and historic playoff run, who fell to the New York Liberty in five finals games last year.
Collier is a top candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player award, leading the league in points per game (24.5), while ranking second in both usage rate (29.2) and points in the paint per game (11.8).
The question is whether Collier will be fully healthy in time for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game, and if she does play, she could make a difference make for the Lynx on both sides of the ball. Minnesota has a 2-1 record without Collier, and has had players off the bench step up in her absence, such as Diamond Miller, Jessica Shepard, and Maria Klinundikova.
To add onto Collier’s dominance, guard Kayla McBride has the ability to shoot lights out from the field in addition to her defensive disruption. Since return to the team, McBride and teammate, guard Courtney Williams, are one of the best backcourt duos to watch in the WNBA.
Guard Natisha Hiedeman has been performing exceptionally off the bench for the Lynx as a backup point guard to Williams. She is a Sixth Woman of the Year award candidate, and is notorious for her impact on both ends of the court for Minnesota.
Indiana Fever’s X-Factor: The trio of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell
Kelsey Mitchell’s quick pass sets up Aliyah Boston perfectly inside for our @StateFarm Assist of the Game 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8AqfO54b3B
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 28, 2025
Forward Aliyah Boston is having an impressive start to the season in her third season with the Fever. She continues to formulate the pick-and-roll team chemistry with Clark and scores aggressively in the paint for Indiana, who is ranked first in points in the paint with 40.4 per game.
Boston is averaging 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game through 17 games played this season and is first in league in field goal percentage with 59.7. Additionally, Boston had a career night in the Indiana Fever’s recent victory over the Seattle Storm, scoring a career-high 31 points and grabbing eight rebounds while shooting 72 percent from the field.
Veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell has been an impressive elite scorer for the Fever throughout the regular season. She has been with Indiana since being acquired through the 2018 WNBA Draft and brings leadership experience to the young squad. A flamethrower, Mitchell’s ability to push the pace, cut back door, and shoot from deep is second to none.
A two-way, three-point shooting threat, guard Lexie Hull is an honorable mention x-factor for the Indiana Fever. Hull has been a member of the Fever since she was selected sixth overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft. Known for her defensive prowess, Hull is shooting 57.1 percent from the left corner three.
How Caitlin Clark Can Impact the Fever vs Lynx Commissioner’s Cup Matchup
Caitlin Clark went off in her return 🔥
32 Points (25 1st half)
7/14 Threes (game high)
9 Assists (game high)
8 Rebounds
2 Blocks
14-Point Win vs NYpic.twitter.com/QKZNLEtzkO
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 14, 2025
What makes Caitlin Clark so special is her ability to make three-pointers from the logo and even NBA range, to pass to her teammates, and how valuable her leadership is to the team. She also changed the Indiana Fever’s franchise identity and game of women’s basketball since her collegiate days.
Through nine games, Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game for the Fever. Although she is going through a shooting slump from the three-point line, Clark is still important to Indiana on both ends of the court. Having missed two consecutive games with a groin injury, Clark’s health status is a crucial concern.
The Fever are ranked fourth in the league in team points per game( 84.1), and offensive rating (105.7). Indiana is also fifth in league in three-point percentage (34.5 %), and third in field goal percentage (46.2 %).
Throughout the regular season, the Indiana Fever has had a season filled with ups and downs as they dealt with the absence of Clark and have a 7-7 record so far. Indiana clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 last year after finishing the regular season on the high note.
The question is will both Clark and Collier be ready to go for their respective teams in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game. If neither one nor both of them play, staying healthy for the playoffs would be a long-term goal.
The Commissioner’s Cup Final between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx is set to take place on July 1 at 8 p.m. ET. With home court advantage, the Lynx will host the Fever at Target Center, which will air on Amazon Prime Video.
