Hammon slams Aces' 'trash' effort in 27-point loss

Las Vegas Aces manager Becky Hammon went disconnected connected her team's show successful Thursday night's 81-54 nonaccomplishment to the Indiana Fever, calling it "one of the worst games I've ever seen."

The Fever, coming disconnected a triumph Tuesday implicit Minnesota successful the Commissioner's Cup final, broke a 16-game losing streak against the Aces that dated backmost to 2019. Indiana was without defender Caitlin Clark (groin injury) for the 4th consecutive game, but its offense, led by Kelsey Mitchell's 25 points, was inactive sharp.

It was the other for Las Vegas, which changeable 26.2% from the field. A'ja Wilson was the lone Aces subordinate to people successful treble figures with 29 points; their next-highest scorer was Jackie Young with six points. Wilson was 9-of-18 from the field, but the remainder of the Aces were a combined 7-of-43.

"That's a implicit deficiency of professionalism to travel present with that effort," Hammon said of the Aces, who astatine 8-9 are 5th successful the Western Conference. "They played amended yesterday successful signifier by a lot. I don't cognize however you measurement onto the level with 20,000 radical successful the stands and execute similar that. It is the worst violative nighttime I've ever seen [since] I've been present successful the past 4 years."

Hammon wasn't immoderate happier with the Aces' defense, which has been a interest each season. Asked what was astir problematic, Hammon cited the abundance of layups the squad allowed.

"They were successful the overgarment [getting] downhill layups each night," Hammon said. "I don't truly person immoderate answers for you. The effort and the absorption conscionable were not there. I thought they were grabbing and holding us, truthful it's a rugby match. My squad doesn't privation to play rugby, truthful we get our ass kicked. There has to beryllium immoderate combat backmost if they're going to let that benignant of physicality. My squad has to measurement up and lucifer that physicality, period.

"One squad is fickle, and 1 squad is not. One squad is 3 steps behind; 1 squad is not. They got each the 50/50 balls. They busted our ass successful each benignant of way. There's conscionable nary bones astir it. It's 1 of the worst games I've ever seen."

Hammon and the Aces person talked each play astir however they person been truthful up and down. On Sunday, the Aces ended the six-game winning streak of the Phoenix Mercury, who had been the league's hottest team. Las Vegas scored astatine slightest 80 points successful the 5 games earlier Thursday, going 3-2 successful those games.

"If I knew which 1 was coming, I could hole myself a small spot better," Hammon said of her team's property from crippled to game. "We spell retired to Phoenix. That was the champion squad successful the league going into that night, and we enactment a coagulated 4 quarters together. Tonight, we enactment a 3rd 4th unneurotic and [other than] that, 3 quarters of trash. The discourtesy was trash, the defence was trash. And astatine immoderate constituent you person to accidental that's a small much us, due to the fact that it's happened [against] aggregate opponents.

"They conscionable wanted it much than us, and I deliberation that's the astir disturbing thing, erstwhile radical privation it much than you. Because that's effort and that's heart."

The Aces won WNBA titles successful 2022 and 2023, Hammon's archetypal 2 seasons successful Las Vegas. Last season, they precocious to the semifinals, wherever they mislaid to eventual WNBA champion New York. But this play has been a roller coaster.

Hammon was asked what the Aces tin bash to amended their consistency.

"Maybe we've got to shingle thing up, shingle up the starting lineup," Hammon said. "It's truly hard to cognize arsenic a manager what squad you're getting connected a fixed night. If I knew what buttons to propulsion to marque definite our effort was due each night, I'd beryllium pushing those buttons.

"It's not a fastener I privation to person to push, if I person to [start] your engine. You've got to travel with your motor started ... with the state pedal down. We would person won 5 oregon six much games if we conscionable played harder. That's a mode to flit distant a season. If we conscionable tried harder, we'd triumph much games."