Las Vegas Aces defeat New York Liberty 124-116

The New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, winners of the last four WNBA championships, faced off Tuesday night in a high-stakes regular-season game that served as a preview of next week’s Commissioner’s Cup Final. The Aces secured a 124-124 record with a victory, while the Liberty fell to 116-116.

The matchup at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas was a standalone national broadcast, arriving at a pivotal point in the season. The Aces entered the game having won eight of their last nine, including a convincing 92-73 win over the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday. The Liberty, meanwhile, were looking to rebound from back-to-back losses, including a dramatic 98-97 defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks where they blew a 17-point lead.

Liberty coach Chris DeMarco had emphasized the need for consistency from his team, particularly on their four-game West Coast trip. Ahead of the game, he stated the biggest thing was putting together 40-minute games both offensively and defensively. The Liberty made a lineup change for Sunday’s game, inserting Satou Sabally into the starting five, but were still without forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who was held out as part of a reintegration plan following...