Fans searching for “Aces vs Lynx” want the latest on one of the WNBA’s most anticipated rivalries: the two best teams in the league this season, headlined by reigning MVP favorite A’ja Wilson and former Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier. This guide covers the confirmed result of their first 2026 meeting, a full match report, standout performances, team news, the marquee Target Center rematch that followed, and an FAQ section built to answer everything people are searching for around this matchup right now.
Whether you’re here for the score, the story behind this season’s Wilson-Collier duel, or what this series means for the WNBA Finals picture, this article covers it all in one place.
Quick Answer: Who Won Aces vs Lynx?
The Las Vegas Aces beat the Minnesota Lynx 100-97 in their first meeting of the 2026 season, played on Saturday, June 13, 2026, as part of WNBA Commissioner’s Cup play. A’ja Wilson finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, offsetting a career-high 29-point performance from Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles, as Las Vegas took the Western Conference lead in the Commissioner’s Cup standings. The two clubs — widely considered the top two title contenders in the league — met again on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis, in what was billed as a potential WNBA Finals preview, with a third and final regular-season meeting still to come in Las Vegas.
That’s the short version. Below, we break down exactly how the first meeting unfolded, who stood out, the context behind the closely watched rematch, and how this rivalry fits into the bigger championship picture for both teams.
Aces vs Lynx: Season Series Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Season Series | Las Vegas Aces vs Minnesota Lynx (3 regular-season meetings) |
| Game 1 | June 13, 2026 — Las Vegas Aces 100, Minnesota Lynx 97 (at Las Vegas) |
| Game 2 | August 8, 2026 — at Target Center, Minneapolis |
| Game 3 | Later in August 2026 — at Las Vegas |
| Competition Context | Game 1 was part of WNBA Commissioner’s Cup play |
| Aces Record (entering Game 2) | 22-9, 2nd in the standings |
| Lynx Record (entering Game 2) | 25-7, 1st in the standings, 2.5-game lead |
| National TV Coverage | CBS and Paramount+ |
Entering their second meeting of the season, both the Aces and Lynx sat atop the WNBA standings, with betting markets and analysts widely treating this matchup as a genuine preview of a possible WNBA Finals matchup later in the year.
Full Match Report: How the Aces Won the Season Opener 100-97
A High-Scoring Commissioner’s Cup Clash
The first meeting between these two title contenders came during WNBA Commissioner’s Cup play on June 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, and it lived up to its billing as a potential Finals preview. Both defenses — among the league’s most respected — struggled to slow down each other’s stars, producing a high-scoring, closely fought contest that came down to the final possessions.
A’ja Wilson Delivers Down the Stretch
A’ja Wilson was, as usual, the difference-maker for Las Vegas, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to lead the Aces to victory. Her ability to control the game on both ends — anchoring Las Vegas’s defense while remaining their primary scoring option — proved decisive in a contest where Minnesota’s offense was firing on all cylinders.
Chelsea Gray provided crucial secondary scoring with 29 points, five rebounds, and three assists, giving Las Vegas the kind of dynamic backcourt punch that has made them perennial championship contenders.
Olivia Miles Announces Herself
For Minnesota, the story of the night was rookie Olivia Miles, who exploded for a career-high 29 points, serving early notice of the special season she would go on to have. Despite her heroics, the Lynx couldn’t quite match Las Vegas’s firepower down the stretch, falling 100-97 in a game that gave the Aces the Western Conference lead in Commissioner’s Cup standings — but one that also signaled just how dangerous this Minnesota roster could be, even in a losing effort.
Aces vs Lynx: Game 1 Statistical Highlights
- A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas): 24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists — the driving force behind the win
- Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas): 29 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists — elite secondary scoring from the backcourt
- Olivia Miles (Minnesota): Career-high 29 points in a losing effort, an early glimpse of her Rookie of the Year-caliber season
Final Score: Las Vegas Aces 100, Minnesota Lynx 97
The Marquee Rematch: Aces vs Lynx at Target Center
The season series continued on Saturday, August 8, 2026, when the Aces traveled to Minneapolis to face the Lynx in what was widely described as a potential WNBA Finals preview between the league’s top two championship odds favorites.
Contrasting Momentum Heading In
The two teams arrived at this rematch carrying very different emotional momentum. Las Vegas came in fresh off a dramatic 86-84 overtime win over the Indiana Fever, rallying from a 20-point first-half deficit. Chelsea Gray delivered a signature performance, hitting a game-tying three-pointer at the regulation buzzer before burying another three at the horn to win it in overtime. A’ja Wilson finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Jackie Young added 22 points, including a stretch of 15 consecutive Aces points across the second and third quarters. Aces coach Becky Hammon praised her team’s defensive resolve afterward: “I am super proud of our defense. I haven’t been able to say that a lot, but I’m proud of our defense on a night where we struggled to shoot. That’s why your defense is important — it is going to give you a chance to win the game at the end, and it really did.”
Minnesota, meanwhile, entered the rematch looking to bounce back from a jarring 89-82 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, in which the Lynx blew an 82-81 lead in the final five minutes, watching Los Angeles close the game on an 8-0 run. The defeat snapped Minnesota’s 10-game winning streak. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve did not mince words afterward, calling out her entire roster’s defensive effort: “Every player at every position was terrible. Every player that played in the game, at every position.”
Napheesa Collier’s Return Changes Everything
The biggest storyline shaping this rematch was the return of Napheesa Collier, who missed the first half of the 2026 season recovering from left ankle surgery. Five games into her comeback, Collier was putting up 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game — numbers that immediately re-established her as one of the league’s most dangerous two-way forces. The night before the Target Center rematch, Collier delivered a statement performance of her own: 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists on 10-of-20 shooting.
Her return fundamentally changed the complexion of this rivalry. Las Vegas’s June win over Minnesota came against a Lynx team without Collier in the lineup — a very different opponent than the one the Aces faced in August.
Betting Markets Favored Minnesota
Ahead of the rematch, Minnesota was installed as a 4.5-point home favorite, with community betting markets pricing the Lynx around -203 to -140 on the moneyline against the Aces at roughly +125 to +178, reflecting confidence in Minnesota’s league-best net rating and home-court advantage at Target Center. The point total was set in the 180s, with several analysts predicting a low-scoring, defense-driven affair given both teams’ elite defensive rankings — Minnesota entered the game second in the league in both offensive and defensive rating, the only team with a net rating above +10.
Aces vs Lynx: Key Player Comparisons
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
The four-time WNBA MVP entered the rematch averaging 26.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, in the midst of another dominant campaign that has kept Las Vegas near the top of the standings all season. Over her last 10 games heading into the Target Center matchup, Wilson had been averaging an extraordinary 42.6 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) combined — elite production even by her own historically high standards. Against Minnesota specifically, however, Wilson’s production has traditionally dipped somewhat, averaging 33.2 PRA over her last 12 regular-season meetings with the Lynx, a reflection of just how disruptive Minnesota’s defense — particularly with Collier healthy — can be even against the league’s most dominant player.
Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx)
Even working her way back into game shape after missing half the season, Collier’s two-way impact was immediately apparent. Her ability to match up physically with Wilson while also facilitating Minnesota’s offense — averaging nearly four assists per game in her return — gives the Lynx a different look than the Collier-less roster the Aces defeated back in June.
Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx)
Minnesota’s rookie sensation entered the rematch as the team’s leading scorer at 19.8 points per game, adding a team-high 5.8 assists per game. Her career-high 29-point outburst in the teams’ first meeting signaled a rookie unafraid of the moment, and her continued development throughout the season made her one of the most closely watched storylines of Minnesota’s championship push.
Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
Las Vegas’s backcourt tandem of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young has been described as blending scoring, playmaking, and perimeter defense as well as any duo in the league. Gray’s clutch shot-making — on full display in the win over Indiana — combined with Young’s scoring outbursts gives the Aces a dynamic secondary scoring punch alongside Wilson’s interior dominance.
Team News and Injury Report
Las Vegas Aces Injury Updates
The Aces entered the August rematch with a shortened rotation:
- Justine Pissott — sidelined with a leg injury
- Cheyenne Parker-Tyus — sidelined following a concussion
Minnesota Lynx Injury Updates
Minnesota also dealt with injury absences beyond Collier’s earlier-season recovery:
- Chloe Bibby — sidelined
- Liatu King — sidelined
- Dorka Juhász — recovering from a right mid-foot sprain earlier in the season
- Emma Cechová — ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn right ACL
Despite the injury list, both rosters remained deep enough to field genuine championship-caliber lineups, a reflection of the overall talent level both front offices have built.
Aces vs Lynx: The Bigger Rivalry Context
This matchup has quickly developed into one of the WNBA’s most compelling storylines, built around the ongoing duel between A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier — widely regarded as two of the best two-way players in the league. The rivalry has produced dramatic swings over the past two seasons. In the 2025 season, Minnesota handed Las Vegas one of the worst losses in franchise history, a 53-point blowout that was also notable as the game in which Collier suffered the ankle injury that eventually factored into the 2025 MVP conversation. Las Vegas answered later that year by beating Minnesota 97-87 during a 13-game winning streak, with Wilson dropping 31 points on 80% shooting in the win. Just months earlier, Minnesota had also throttled Las Vegas 109-78 at Target Center, extending their home winning streak to 14-0 that season.
That back-and-forth history — blowouts in both directions, MVP-caliber head-to-head duels, and championship implications nearly every time these two teams meet — is exactly what has made Aces vs Lynx appointment viewing for WNBA fans in 2026, with this season’s series carrying the added weight of both teams being widely regarded as the favorites to meet in the WNBA Finals.
What This Season Series Means for the WNBA Championship Picture
- Napheesa Collier’s health is the single biggest swing factor in this rivalry. Las Vegas’s June win came against a Minnesota team without their best player; a healthy Collier fundamentally changes the calculus of any future meeting, including a possible playoff series.
- A’ja Wilson’s MVP-caliber season keeps Las Vegas in every game. Her ability to produce at an elite level even in difficult matchups against Minnesota’s top-ranked defense makes the Aces a threat regardless of circumstances.
- Olivia Miles has emerged as a genuine difference-maker for Minnesota. Her career-high performance in the teams’ first meeting, combined with her season-long scoring and playmaking numbers, suggests the Lynx’s ceiling is higher than many projected entering the year.
- Both teams’ bullpen — er, bench — depth beyond their stars will matter in a potential Finals series. With both rosters dealing with injuries to depth pieces, how each coaching staff manages rotations down the stretch could prove decisive if these two teams meet again with a championship on the line.
Coaching Perspectives: Hammon vs. Reeve
Behind the star power, this rivalry is also shaped by two of the WNBA’s most respected head coaches. Becky Hammon, entering her fourth season leading Las Vegas, has built the Aces into a perennial title contender by maximizing Wilson’s dominance while surrounding her with proven playoff performers like Gray and Young. Her comments after the dramatic overtime win over Indiana — crediting a defensive turnaround for creating the late-game opportunity — reflect a coaching philosophy that prioritizes two-way execution even when shots aren’t falling.
Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota’s long-tenured head coach and a perennial Coach of the Year candidate, has built the Lynx into the league’s most efficient team by net rating, with elite marks on both ends of the floor. Her blunt public assessment of her team’s defensive lapse against the Sparks — calling out every position group by name — is characteristic of a coaching approach built on accountability, one that has helped Minnesota sustain one of the best regular-season records in the league despite missing their best player for half the season.
The tactical chess match between these two coaching staffs — Hammon’s emphasis on closing games with her stars, Reeve’s system-driven defensive identity — adds another layer to a rivalry already built around historically great individual talent.
Why This Rivalry Matters for the WNBA’s Growing Audience
Beyond the individual matchups, Aces vs Lynx has become a useful barometer for the WNBA’s broader growth as a national television product. The decision to place their August rematch on CBS’s national broadcast window, alongside Paramount+ streaming, reflects networks’ growing confidence that a marquee regular-season WNBA matchup can draw significant mainstream audience interest — a shift that would have been far less certain just a few seasons ago.
With both franchises boasting deep rosters, superstar talent, and genuine championship aspirations, the Aces-Lynx rivalry has increasingly been positioned alongside matchups like Liberty-Aces and Fever-Sky as one of the signature draws of the modern WNBA regular season — must-watch television regardless of which market you’re rooting for.
How to Watch Aces vs Lynx Games Live
Coverage of Aces-Lynx matchups has increasingly moved to national television given the stakes involved, with games airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, alongside standard WNBA League Pass coverage for out-of-market fans. Given how frequently this matchup has been treated as a national broadcast priority, checking local listings or your streaming service ahead of time is worthwhile for any fan hoping to catch a potential Finals preview live.
If you regularly follow the WNBA from outside your team’s home broadcast region, having a reliable streaming setup matters just as much as knowing tip-off times. Our detailed guide on the best VPNs for privacy and streaming in 2026 breaks down which services actually work for accessing regional sports broadcasts securely, along with what to look for in speed, reliability, and privacy protection — useful reading before the next Aces-Lynx showdown or any other out-of-market matchup.
For more basketball, football, cricket, and general sports coverage, explore our full Games category, including in-depth reads like how many T20 World Cups India has won and what the highest T20 score in World Cup history is.
Statistical Deep Dive: What the Numbers Say About This Rivalry
Looking beyond individual box scores, the season-long statistical profiles of both teams help explain why this matchup has been so tightly contested. Minnesota entered the August rematch ranked second in the league in both offensive and defensive rating, the only team in the WNBA with a net rating above +10 — a mark of remarkable two-way consistency across the roster, not just from Collier and Miles. Las Vegas, meanwhile, has built one of the league’s most efficient offenses at a 49.2% field goal rate, fueled by the spacing Wilson’s interior scoring creates for shooters like Gray and Young, and has posted a +68 point differential since the All-Star break, underlining just how dominant this Aces roster has looked in the second half of the season.
Historical head-to-head trends between the two teams have also leaned toward tightly contested, defensively oriented games at Target Center specifically, with the under hitting in a majority of recent meetings in Minneapolis — a pattern that made the August rematch a genuinely difficult one to predict on paper, even with home-court advantage favoring the Lynx.
Frequently Asked Questions About Aces vs Lynx
Who won the first Aces vs Lynx game in 2026?
The Las Vegas Aces won the teams’ first 2026 meeting 100-97 on June 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, as part of WNBA Commissioner’s Cup play. A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Who had a career-high in the Aces vs Lynx season opener?
Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles scored a career-high 29 points in the loss, an early signal of the standout season she would go on to have.
How many times do the Aces and Lynx play each other in 2026?
Las Vegas and Minnesota were scheduled to meet three times during the 2026 regular season: June 13 in Las Vegas, August 8 at Target Center in Minneapolis, and a third meeting later in August in Las Vegas.
Why is Napheesa Collier’s return significant for this rivalry?
Collier missed the first half of the 2026 season recovering from left ankle surgery. As one of the league’s premier two-way players, her absence and subsequent return significantly changes the competitive balance between Minnesota and Las Vegas, since the Aces’ June win came against a Lynx team without her.
What are the season records for the Aces and Lynx heading into their August matchup?
Entering their August 8 rematch, the Minnesota Lynx led the WNBA standings at 25-7, with the Las Vegas Aces in second place at 22-9, a 2.5-game gap between the two clubs.
Is Aces vs Lynx considered a potential WNBA Finals preview?
Yes. With both teams widely regarded as the top championship odds favorites for the 2026 season, analysts and broadcasters have consistently framed their regular-season meetings — particularly the August 8 rematch — as a potential preview of the WNBA Finals.
Who are the key stars in the Aces vs Lynx rivalry?
The rivalry is largely defined by the individual matchup between four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Aces and former Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier of the Lynx, alongside standout performances from Las Vegas’s Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, and Minnesota’s Olivia Miles and Kayla McBride.
What happened the last time these two teams met before 2026?
In the 2025 season, the rivalry produced dramatic results in both directions — Minnesota handed Las Vegas a historic 53-point blowout loss (the game in which Collier suffered her ankle injury), while Las Vegas later beat Minnesota 97-87 during a 13-game winning streak.
Where was the Aces vs Lynx rematch played on August 8?
The August 8, 2026 rematch was played at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was broadcast nationally on CBS and Paramount+.
Which players were injured for the Aces and Lynx during the August matchup?
The Aces were without Justine Pissott (leg) and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (concussion), while the Lynx were missing Chloe Bibby and Liatu King, along with season-ending absences for Dorka Juhász and Emma Cechová earlier in the year.
Conclusion: Aces vs Lynx 2026 Season Series Verdict
The opening chapter of this season’s Aces-Lynx rivalry delivered exactly what fans have come to expect from this matchup: elite individual performances, a razor-thin final margin, and a genuine glimpse of what a potential WNBA Finals series between these two clubs could look like. A’ja Wilson’s steady dominance carried Las Vegas to a 100-97 win in June, but Olivia Miles’s career-high effort in defeat served notice that Minnesota’s young core was ready to compete with the league’s best from day one.
By the time the two teams met again in August at Target Center, the context had shifted considerably. A healthy Napheesa Collier gave Minnesota a fundamentally different look than the roster the Aces beat in June, while Las Vegas arrived riding the momentum of a dramatic overtime win of their own. With a third regular-season meeting still to come in Las Vegas and both teams firmly positioned among the WNBA’s championship favorites, this rivalry looks set to remain one of the most compelling storylines of the 2026 season — and potentially its ultimate deciding series if both clubs meet again when a title is on the line.
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