Ace coach Becky Hammon didn’t hold back after her team’s 81-54 loss to the Indiana Fever on Thursday.
“We got kicked in the ass,” Hammon remarked, pointing out that Indiana was without Caitlyn Clark due to an injury. She described it as “one of the worst games” she’d witnessed.
“It’s a complete lack of professionalism to come out with that kind of effort,” Hammon added. After noting the team’s recent performance at Gainbridge Field House, she commented, “They actually played better yesterday than they did today. This was the worst offensive night I’ve seen in four years.”
Hammon criticized the team’s defense and lack of physicality, saying, “They were getting layups all night long. I really don’t have the answers for you. There was no effort or focus. They were playing like it was a rugby match. My team doesn’t want to play rugby, which led to us getting kicked in the ass. If they allow that kind of physicality, we need to respond better.”
“One team was whimsical; the other wasn’t. One team was three steps behind. They won the 50/50 balls and dominated us in every way,” she noted.
Indiana’s victory ended a 16-game winning streak against the Aces that dated back to 2019, following their win over the Lynx in the committee’s Cup final.
Las Vegas struggled offensively, shooting just 26.2% from the field. A’ja Wilson, the league’s MVP, scored a notable 29 points, but the rest of the team only managed single-digit scores, with Jackie Young being the second-highest scorer at six points.
On the other hand, Fever’s Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell combined for an impressive 45 points.
What’s alarming for the Aces is that they couldn’t capitalize even without Clark on the court. Currently sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference, the Aces (8-9) are set for an East Coast road trip against the Sun, Freedom, and Mystics before returning home to face the Valkyrie on July 12.
Following that, they’ll meet the Dallas Wings ahead of the All-Star break. Meanwhile, the Fever will have a four-game homestand before traveling for back-to-back games against Boston and Liberty on July 15 and 16.
