Aces, WNBA announce 2020 schedule
The Aces will begin their third season May 17, the WNBA announced on Thursday. The Aces’ opener will be a 3 p.m. home game against the Dallas Wings at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Other notable matchups include rematches with a pair of playoff foes. They play the Chicago Sky on May 24, June 19 and June 27, and the Washington Mystics on August 21 and Sept. 1.
The Aces will play three games on ESPN’s family of networks — against the Phoenix Mercury on June 6, against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 16 and against the Sky on June 27. Other nationally televised broadcasts will be announced at a later date.
They’ll host a six-game home stand from June 23 through July 5, tying the longest in franchise history, and will embark on two four-game trips and two three-game trips.
The league will break for the Olympics from July 11 through August 15 and will conclude its regular season Sept. 20. The Aces play their final home game Sept. 10.
The league is expanding its regular season from 34 to 36 games and introducing the Commissioner’s Cup, an in-season event comprised of 10 games that count toward the regular-season standings. Cup games will include a team’s first home and away game against all five of its in-conference foes.
The Cup championship game is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 14, ahead of the resumption of the regular season.
“We are incredibly excited to introduce a first-of-its-kind in-season tournament for our league and present more regular-season games on ABC, increasing the WNBA’s national television exposure,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “The Commissioner’s Cup offers fans another competition through which to support their favorite teams and adds a new dimension to the season for our players and teams.”
The WNBA earlier in the week announced a new collective bargaining agreement that will dramatically increase salaries and benefits for players.
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
Las Vegas Aces 2020 Schedule
May
17; vs. Dallas; 3 p.m.
22; vs. Seattle; 7:30 p.m.
24; at Chicago; 5 p.m.;
29; at Minnesota 5 p.m.;
31; at Seattle 4 p.m.;
June
2; at Los Angeles 7:30 p.m.;
6; Phoenix (KTNV-13) Noon;
9; Minnesota 7 p.m.;
16; at Los Angeles (ESPN2) 7 p.m.;
19; at Chicago 5 p.m.;
21; at New York; Noon;
23; New York 7 p.m.;
25; Atlanta 7 p.m.;
27; Chicago (ESPN2) 1 p.m.;
30; Dallas 7 p.m.;
July
2; Indiana; 7 p.m.;
5; Minnesota; 3 p.m.;
7; at Dallas; 10 a.m.;
8; at Phoenix; 12:30 p.m.;
10; Los Angeles 7:30 p.m.;
August
16; at Seattle; 4 p.m.;
18; Phoenix; 7 p.m.;
21; at Washington; 4 p.m.;
23; at Connecticut; Noon;
25; at Indiana; 4 p.m.;
27; New York; 7 p.m.;
30; Seattle; 3 p.m.;
September
1; Washington; 7 p.m.;
4; Atlanta; 7:30 p.m.;
6; at Minnesota; 4 p.m.;
8; Connecticut; 7 p.m.;
10; Indiana; 7 p.m.;
13; at Atlanta; Noon;
16; at Connecticut; 4 p.m.;
18; at Washington; 4 p.m.;
20; at Dallas; Noon;
