The 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, the league’s annual in-season tournament, comes down to one game. The Indiana Fever, minus Caitlin Clark, will face off against Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx in the title game at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Fever announced on Tuesday, July 1 that Clark would not be cleared to make her highly anticipated return to the court as she continues to recover from a left groin injury. This will be third consecutive game Clark has missed, after being sidelined five consecutive games with a quad strain earlier in June.
The Lynx, who have a league-best 14-2 record, have been here before. Minnesota returns to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the second consecutive year and looks to defend their title after defeating the New York Liberty 94–89 in the 2024 final. The Lynx are vying to become the first back-to-back WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champions.
The Fever, on the other hand, have not been in this position before and are set to make their first Commissioner’s Cup final appearance in franchise history, although Indiana is no stranger to big moments. While Clark won’t be playing, she expressed full confidence in her team when she and Collier were named an All-Star Game captains, declaring on June 29, “We about to get that dub.”
WNBA ALL-STAR GAME: Starters, including Clark, Collier, announced for 2025 event
WOMEN’S SPORTS: The latest news and insider insights from USA TODAY Studio IX.
History is not on the Lynx side. The home team hasn’t won the Commissioner’s Cup in the tournament’s history. Instead, the visiting team has won each time, aside from the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup final that was played at a neutral site in 2021.
Will the Lynx become the first repeat champions? Or will the Fever play spoiler? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final:
Halftime: Fever 32, Lynx 27
Now it’s the Fever’s turn to go on a run. Indiana trailed the Lynx by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, but the Fever went on an 18-0 run to take their first lead since earlier in the first quarter. The Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell has a game-high eight points. Aliyah Boston is on the board with two points after starting the night 0-for-6 from the field.
The Lynx were outscored 20-7 in the second quarter and were held scoreless for over eight minutes in the period. The Lynx are up to nine total turnovers that the Fever has cashed in for 11 points.
Alanna Smith has a game-high seven points, while Napheesa Collier is up to six points (3-of-9 FG, 0-of-1 3PT). Smith and Collier failed to score in the second quarter.
End of Q1: Lynx 20, Fever 12
The Lynx jumped out to an eight-point lead over the Fever in the first quarter of the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup final. The Fever’s turnovers spurred the Lynx’s offense. Minnesota went on a 12-0 run that was fueled by three consecutive Fever turnovers. Indiana gave up seven points off five total first-quarter turnovers.
The Fever leads the league in points in the paint with 40.4 per game, but Minnesota has done a good job taking away the Fever’s inside looks so far and has forced Indiana into some tough shots. The Fever collectively shot 27.8% from the field, while the Lynx shot 60% in the first quarter.
Aari Mcdonald leads the Fever with five points. Aliyah Boston was held scoreless, shooting 0-for-4 from the field.
Alanna Smith has a game-high seven points, while Napheesa Collier is up to six points.
How to watch 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final
The fifth-annual WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final will be decided on Tuesday. A $500,000 prize pool is up for grabs.
- Date: Tuesday, July 1
- Time: 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)
- Location: Target Center (Minneapolis)
- TV: None
- Steaming: Prime Video
The game will be available to view on demand on WNBA League Pass after it concludes.
Will Caitlin Clark play in Commissioner’s Cup final?
No, Clark will not play against the Minnesota Lynx in the Commissioner’s Cup final, the Fever announced hours before the game. Clark had been considered day-to-day after alerting the Fever coaching staff of a groin injury on June 25th following the Fever’s 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm on June 24. She missed the Fever’s loss vs. Los Angeles on June 26 and Indiana’s win at Dallas on June 27 with the injury.
Indiana Fever starting lineup
The Fever is sticking with the same starting lineup that took the court in Indiana’s 94-86 win over the Dallas Wings on Friday. Aari McDonald will make her second start of the season after resigning with the Fever in June.
Minnesota Lynx starting lineup
The Lynx’s starting five includes Napheesa Collier, Bridget Carleton, Alana Smith, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams. This unit has started nine previous games together and have gone 8-1.
WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champions, by year
Here’s every team that has won the WNBA’s in-season tournament since it began in 2021:
- 2024: Minnesota Lynx def. New York Liberty
- 2023: New York Liberty def. Las Vegas Aces
- 2022: Las Vegas Aces def. Chicago Sky
- 2021: Seattle Storm def. Connecticut Sun
Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier named WNBA All-Star captains
Clark and Collier will go head to head in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final on Tuesday and the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will mark Round 2.
On Sunday, June 29, the WNBA announced that Clark and Collier will serve as captains of this year’s All-Star Game after picking up their second and fifth career All-Star nods, respectively. Clark, the reigning Rookie of the Year, and Collier, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, earned the honor by receiving the most fan votes.
The All-Star Game starters were revealed on June 30.
Clark and Collier will be tasked with drafting their All-Star teams playground-style from a pool of eight starters and 12 reserves on July 8. Read more about the All-Star captains here.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
