Two Commissioner's Cup games on the Sunday slate, and both were decided in the first half. Toronto jumped out of the gates against Chicago with a 29-15 first quarter that set a tone the Sky never recovered from, with Brittney Sykes leading the way in a physical, foul-heavy game. In Los Angeles, the Sparks welcomed Portland and sent a statement, with Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby combining for 42 points and 29 rebounds to overwhelm a Fire team that coughed the ball over 17 times and went 3-of-28 from three. Here's how it all went down.

Chicago Sky 68, Toronto Tempo 85

Chicago never led. Toronto's 29-15 first quarter was a statement of intent, and although the Sky traded blows through the next three frames, they were always chasing a deficit they created in the first 10 minutes. The biggest lead was 21. The final was 85-68, and Toronto improves to 1-1 in Commissioner's Cup play.

Brittney Sykes was Toronto's engine, attacking Chicago's defense relentlessly in the paint. She went 9-of-23 from the field for 25 points, drawing eight fouls and going 7-of-9 from the free throw line, with 16 points in the paint (8-of-17 inside). It was not a clean shooting night statistically, but the physical intent and the pressure she created opened every other option for Toronto. Nyara Sabally followed her lead with 15 points on 7-of-14 from the field (50 percent) with six rebounds, three offensive boards, and four second-chance points. Isabelle Harrison was the most efficient performer on either team, going 6-of-9 from the field (2-of-2 from three) for 14 points on 74.2 percent true shooting with six rebounds and two assists. Marina Mabrey ran the offense cleanly with nine points, six assists, and two steals against three turnovers. Julie Allemand was a quiet catalyst off the bench, going 1-of-2 from the field for four points with six rebounds, three assists, and a fast-break conversion in just 17 minutes, posting a plus-16. Toronto had 19 assists on 30 made field goals, 46 points in the paint, and 13 points off Chicago's 16 turnovers.

Chicago struggled everywhere. Azura Stevens led the Sky with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3 percent) with 10 rebounds and five fast-break points, arguably the best individual performance in the game on either roster that did not lead to a win. She fought hard and competed in a game where most of her teammates did not. Skylar Diggins went 2-of-8 from the field for seven points (35.9 percent true shooting), Natasha Cloud went 2-of-7 for six points with three turnovers, and Kamilla Cardoso shot 33.3 percent from the field for nine points in 62.5 percent free throw shooting. Jacy Sheldon shot well (4-of-7, 10 points, 71.4 percent true shooting) but turned the ball over five times. Chicago's 61.5 percent free throw shooting (16-of-26) and their 16 total turnovers were the two numbers that defined a night where the Sky gave Toronto every advantage they could have asked for.

TOR 85 · CHI 68

Portland Fire 72, Los Angeles Sparks 89

This one was tight early. Portland actually led 22-21 after the first quarter on some efficient interior play. Then Los Angeles took over. The Sparks outscored the Fire 17-22 in the second to take the lead at halftime, then detonated a 23-12 third quarter that put the game out of reach and led by as many as 18. Portland won the fourth 17-25 in garbage time. Final: 89-72, Los Angeles moves to 1-3 in Commissioner's Cup play, and Portland falls to 0-3, effectively eliminated from Cup contention.

The inside-out combination of Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby was the story. Ogwumike went 8-of-14 from the field (2-of-6 from three) for 20 points on 67.2 percent true shooting with a staggering 17 rebounds (six offensive, 11 defensive), her offensive rebounding rate generating six second-chance opportunities throughout the game. She was the most dominant individual player in either game Sunday. Hamby matched her interior presence with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting for 59.8 percent true shooting, 12 rebounds (six offensive), six fast-break points on a perfect 3-of-3 transition conversion rate, and seven second-chance points. Together they accounted for 42 points and 29 rebounds in a performance that Portland had no answer for in any rotation they tried. Kelsey Plum orchestrated the offense cleanly with 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field (5-of-5 FT) at 65.6 percent true shooting, seven assists against one turnover for a 7.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, and three steals. Erica Wheeler gave Los Angeles a massive plus-32 in 30 minutes off the bench on six points and four assists, the highest plus/minus of the game.

Portland's Cup campaign is effectively over. The Fire had 17 turnovers that LA converted into 23 points, and went a brutal 3-of-28 from three (10.7 percent), the worst three-point shooting performance in any Cup game this week. Megan Gustafson was the lone Portland player who genuinely competed throughout, going 6-of-13 from the field for 16 points with 11 rebounds, including seven offensive boards generating eight second-chance points, for a double-double on 52.6 percent true shooting. The problem is the Fire needed much more than Gustafson's interior production, and the perimeter simply evaporated. Carla Leite went 4-of-13 from the field (33.3 percent) for 10 points with four turnovers and a minus-21. Bridget Carleton went 1-of-4 from the field with three turnovers and a minus-10. Emily Engstler shot 57.1 percent for 10 points in a strong individual line but fouled out with five personals. Portland's biggest lead of the night was two points in the first quarter, and once they were down they could never manufacture a three-point answer.

LAS 89 · POR 72

Day 7 of the Commissioner's Cup tightened the standings further. Toronto's win over Chicago keeps them relevant at 1-1 in the Eastern Conference race, while Chicago remains mired at 1-2 with a turnover problem and inconsistent guard play that keeps costing them when games are there to be won. In the West, Los Angeles picks up a needed Cup win to go 1-3, and the Ogwumike-Hamby interior combination looked like the best frontcourt pairing of the entire Cup weekend. Portland drops to 0-3 and their Commissioner's Cup is over in practice, if not officially. Their three-point shooting and turnover issues have been the consistent story of a disappointing Cup campaign from a team that entered the tournament as one of the hotter squads in the league.

Star of the Night: Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks

20 points | 8-of-14 FG | 2-of-6 from three | 2-of-2 FT | 17 rebounds | 6 offensive rebounds | 67.2% true shooting | Efficiency score 33

A 20-point, 17-rebound double-double on 57.1 percent shooting with six offensive boards is the kind of performance that wins games on its own. Ogwumike was the most dominant individual player across both Sunday games, and her offensive rebounding rate kept the Sparks in constant attack mode against a Portland defense that was otherwise competitive inside. Hamby's 22-12 double-double is the strongest argument against this pick, but Ogwumike's rebounding margin edges it out.

Dud of the Night: Carla Leite, Portland Fire

10 points | 4-of-13 FG | 4 turnovers | minus-21 | 32.0% true shooting

Leite entered Sunday as one of the more reliable creators on the Fire roster. She shot 4-of-13 from the field, turned the ball over four times, and posted a minus-21 in a game where Portland could not afford to give Los Angeles free possessions. Her 32 percent true shooting mark in 27 minutes was the worst among any Portland player who logged meaningful time. The Fire needed their primary guard to find rhythm and she never did, which compounded the damage from an already difficult three-point shooting night for the team.