The Indiana Fever pulled off a big upset on Tuesday to defeat the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup championship, 74-59. The Fever were playing without star guard Caitlin Clark (groin) but put together a brilliant defensive effort to win the WNBA’s in-season competition for the first time in franchise history.
Natasha Howard was named MVP after finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals. This was a true team effort for the Fever, who had five players score in double figures, including Aliyah Boston, who added 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
The Lynx are a league-leading 14-2 this season and a perfect 8-0 at home. They were going to be favored in this game no matter what, but once Clark was ruled out, they jumped to 8.5-point favorites.
Early on, it seemed that number wasn’t big enough as the Lynx went ahead early and pushed their advantage to 13 early in the second quarter. That turned out to be the high point of their evening.
Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star (groin) out for WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship vs. Lynx
Jack Maloney
The Fever locked in defensively and held the Lynx scoreless over the final 8:13 of the first half to surge ahead at the break. Everyone expected the Lynx — the best offensive team in the league this season — to return to form in the second half, but it never happened. The Fever didn’t exactly light it up themselves, but they did enough to hold the Lynx at an arm’s length all second half.
Minnesota’s 59 points were the fewest they’ve scored all season, and their 34.9% mark from the field was also a season-worst. They also turned the ball over 16 times. MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier had five of those turnovers and made just 6 of her 18 shots in her worst outing of the season.
Indiana’s win ensured that no team has ever gone back-to-back in the Commissioner’s Cup. Here’s a look at the previous winners. Note: Only one team, the 2022 Aces, has won the Commissioner’s Cup and WNBA championship in the same season.