Kelsey Plum Dominant as Aces Beat Sky to Win 2022 Commissioner's Cup
July 27, 2022
The Las Vegas Aces used a dominant first quarter to take a 93-83 victory over the Chicago Sky in the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday. Kelsey Plum led the way with 24 points, six assists and two steals.
With the win, the Aces take home the $500,000 prize pool with each player on the team set to receive around $30,000. Chelsea Gray scored 19 points and was named Commissioner's Cup MVP, which earned her an additional $5,000.
The Sky were led by Candace Parker, who had a team-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. Emma Meesseman and Kahleah Copper each added 18 points. Chicago players were awarded around $10,000 each.
Plum started the game with three triples to spark a 13-0 run for Las Vegas. The Aces put the game out of reach in the opening period, taking a 33-14 lead after the first quarter. The Sky never held a lead in the entire game.
WNBA @WNBAWHAT A START! ๐ฒ<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/LVAces?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LVAces</a> start the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CommissionersCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CommissionersCup</a> Championship presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/coinbase?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coinbase</a> on a 13-0 run with Kelsey Plum (<a href="https://twitter.com/Kelseyplum10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kelseyplum10</a>) contributing to 9 of those points! ๐ฅ <a href="https://t.co/yCoMqSBIgq">pic.twitter.com/yCoMqSBIgq</a>
Plum didn't take her foot off the gas and connected on a season-high six three-pointers.
In addition to Plum's scorching play Tuesday, Jackie Young added 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. A'ja Wilson was an absolute force with 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks.
Chicago eventually cut the deficit to under 10 points late in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.
The Commissioner's Cup was implemented in 2021 as an in-season tournament for the first half of the year. The Aces and Sky both went 9-1 in the 10 designated Cup games in order to reach Tuesday's final.
The second half of the 2022 WNBA season is set to begin Thursday night. The Aces and Sky will both be back in action Friday.