The WNBA regular season resumed Thursday after the Commissioner's Cup Final, and all three games delivered. Washington held off Atlanta in the first game of the post-Cup slate, with Shakira Austin providing the offensive and defensive force that kept the Mystics ahead. Dallas came back from a 14-point first-half deficit against Connecticut, leaning on a dominant Bueckers performance and a 31-point fourth quarter that turned the game on its head. And Phoenix made the Storm look pedestrian from the opening tip, with Copper's 30-point paint assault and Thomas's 13-rebound, nine-assist double-double powering a 23-point road win. Here's how it all went down.

Atlanta Dream 76, Washington Mystics 81

Atlanta led by 10 in this game and never managed to put Washington away. The Mystics chipped away relentlessly, took the lead in the third quarter, and held on through a Dream fourth-quarter push that generated 28 points but could not overcome the earlier deficit Washington had turned around. Atlanta had 13 steals and 16 offensive rebounds. Washington had 28 turnovers. The Mystics won anyway, 81-76, which is a testament to how efficiently they converted their own opportunities when they had them.

Austin was Washington's engine. She went 9-of-14 from the field (2-of-2 from three, 7-of-12 on two-pointers) for 21 points at 64.8 percent true shooting with nine rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Her 55.3 percent field goal mark inside and her three blocks disrupting Atlanta's paint production were the defensive contributions that carried equal weight to her scoring. Alicia Florez was Washington's most efficient individual, going 5-of-8 (2-of-3 from three) for 13 points at 73.2 percent true shooting with seven assists on a 1.75 assist-to-turnover ratio. Iriafen had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on 62.5 percent shooting, drawing five fouls and converting five second-chance points. Georgia Amoore bounced back from recent struggles with one of her cleaner individual lines of the season, going 3-of-4 (1-of-1 from three, 4-of-4 FT) for 11 points at 95.5 percent true shooting with zero turnovers.

Atlanta's 13 steals and 28 points off Washington's 28 turnovers reflected a team that competed hard but could not convert that defensive energy into enough of an offensive advantage. Howard led the Dream with 24 points on 8-of-20 from the field (5-of-13 from three) at 56.3 percent true shooting with five steals, generating 10 of those points off turnovers. Reese had a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double on 40 percent from the field with six offensive boards, fouled out with five personals and a tech foul. Canada had 10 points and seven assists (3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio) but four personal fouls disrupted her rhythm in the second half. Atlanta shot just 22.6 percent from three (7-of-31) and 61.1 percent from the free throw line, numbers that kept a competitive performance from becoming a win.

WAS 81 · ATL 76

Dallas Wings 86, Connecticut Sun 83

Connecticut built a lead as large as 14 and appeared to be in complete control through three quarters. Then Paige Bueckers took over and Dallas scored 31 points in the fourth quarter. The Wings outscored the Sun 31-21 in the final frame to steal a road win that had looked beyond them for most of the game. Final: 86-83.

Bueckers was the catalyst for Dallas's entire second half. She went 9-of-14 from the field (2-of-5 from three, 7-of-9 on two-pointers) for 25 points at 75.1 percent true shooting with seven assists, seven rebounds, four turnovers, and a flagrant foul. Her 12 paint points (6-of-8 at the basket, 75 percent conversion at the rim) were the primary source of Dallas's interior production in the fourth quarter. Shepard reinforced her with 14 points on 6-of-10 from the field at 59.5 percent true shooting, six rebounds, and a flagrant foul of her own, plus a tech foul, reflecting how physical this game became in the second half. Alanna Smith provided a clean bench performance, going 4-of-6 (2-of-3 from three) for 11 points at 75.1 percent true shooting, including three second-chance points. Li Yueru shot a perfect 1-of-1 from the field (a three) with a perfect 2-of-2 from the line for five points in her limited minutes, plus-9 in meaningful time.

Connecticut built the lead through Lacan and Leger-Walker's perimeter production but could not hold off Dallas's fourth-quarter surge. Lacan was the Sun's best scorer, going 5-of-14 (2-of-4 from three, 6-of-6 FT) for 18 points at 54.1 percent true shooting with five assists, three steals, and a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Leger-Walker shot 62.5 percent for 14 points at 68.6 percent true shooting with a block and a steal. Griner had a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double on 41.7 percent shooting, drawing three fouls but going just 50 percent from the line on six attempts. Edwards fouled out with five personals and shot 42.9 percent for 11 points. Connecticut shot 62.9 percent from the free throw line (22-of-35), which was the number that kept Dallas's comeback from being in doubt for long once the fourth quarter began, and the Sun's inability to get stops in the final frame reflected a team that simply ran out of answers for Bueckers attacking the paint.

DAL 86 · CON 83

Seattle Storm 67, Phoenix Mercury 90

Phoenix came to Seattle and made a statement on the first game of the post-Cup regular season stretch. The Mercury led 31-20 after the first quarter, pushed the advantage as large as 26, and never truly let the Storm back into the game after the initial run. Thomas controlled the floor, Copper attacked the paint relentlessly, and Held shot 5-of-6 from three as Phoenix dominated across every statistical category. Final: 90-67.

Copper led Phoenix with one of her most complete paint performances of the season, going 12-of-21 from the field (2-of-5 from three, 10-of-16 on two-pointers) for 30 points at 62.3 percent true shooting with seven rebounds, 20 points in the paint, six second-chance points, four fast-break points, two steals, and a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 10-of-16 inside conversion rate (62.5 percent at the basket) and the physical pressure she generated at every level gave Phoenix's offense a dimension Seattle had no ready answer for. Thomas was the quiet engine of the win, going 4-of-10 for nine points but dominating across every other category: 13 rebounds (six offensive), nine assists, two steals, a block, and a remarkable 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio with just two turnovers. Her efficiency score of 25 was the second-highest of the game despite the modest scoring total. Held rounded out Phoenix's perimeter production, going 6-of-11 (5-of-6 from three, 5-of-6 from deep) for 17 points at 77.3 percent true shooting with six fast-break points. Ayayi drew five fouls and went 5-of-7 from the line for 18 points.

Seattle had no consistent answer. Fam was the Storm's most efficient performer by a significant margin, going 6-of-8 (5-of-5 on two-pointers) for 13 points at 81.3 percent true shooting with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and 100 percent at the rim (3-of-3). Melbourne went 3-of-5 with three threes for 11 points at 81.4 percent true shooting with five assists, the two bright spots on a roster that struggled everywhere else. Hiedeman shot 54.5 percent for 13 points but was a minus-29, the worst individual plus/minus of the game. Malonga shot 18.2 percent from the field for five points and was minus-21. Johnson went 33.3 percent for 11 points and fouled out. Cooke went 0-of-2 without a point. Coach technical foul and a player tech added to a difficult night for Seattle at every level.

PHO 90 · SEA 67

The post-Commissioner's Cup regular season is underway, and Thursday's three games reestablished the competitive landscape quickly. Washington's win over Atlanta reinforced how physical a team the Mystics can be when Austin is healthy and operating at full capacity, and Atlanta's inability to convert 13 steals into a win reflects the perimeter shooting problem that has been a consistent theme. Dallas's comeback over Connecticut is the result of the night: down 14 and winning by three is the kind of character performance that speaks to a roster's depth and the trust in Bueckers to take over when the game requires it. And Phoenix's 23-point win in Seattle served notice that the Mercury are ready to compete in the post-Cup stretch, with Copper and Thomas providing exactly the one-two inside combination that gives opposing teams the most trouble.

Star of the Night: Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

25 points | 9-of-14 FG | 75.1% true shooting | 7 assists | 7 rebounds | 6-of-8 at the rim | Efficiency score 29 | plus-11

Dallas trailed by 14 and won by three. Bueckers is the reason that sentence is true. Her 75.1 percent true shooting on 14 attempts with seven assists in a 31-point fourth-quarter comeback reflects exactly the kind of performance that separates good players from great ones. She was the best player on the floor when the game mattered most.

Dud of the Night: Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm

5 points | 2-of-11 FG | 21.0% true shooting | minus-21 | Efficiency score minus-3

Malonga has shown genuine flashes of being one of the most physically dominant centers in the WNBA. Thursday in Phoenix she went 2-of-11 from the field, shot 21 percent true shooting, and was minus-21 in a game decided by 23 points. After her 37-point performance in overtime against Dallas less than two weeks ago, this was the starkest possible contrast. Phoenix's interior pressure was a factor, but two-of-eleven is not a line that holds up against any level of defensive attention.