Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon didn’t mince words after her team’s 81‑54 home loss to the Indiana Fever Thursday, bluntly labeling it “one of the worst games I’ve ever seen.”
“There’s a complete lack of professionalism to come here with that effort,” Hammon said. “They played better yesterday in practice by a lot. I don’t know how you step onto the floor with 20,000 people in the stands and perform like that. It is the worst offensive night I’ve ever seen [since] I’ve been here in the last four years.”
Hammon’s frustration extended to the Aces’ defensive performance, calling it “trash” and unconscionable given the caliber of competition.
“They were in the paint [getting] downhill layups all night,” she said. “I don’t really have any answers for you. The effort and the focus just were not there. … My team doesn’t want to play rugby, so we get our ass kicked. There has to be some fight back if they’re going to allow that kind of physicality.”
She stressed the Fever controlled every aspect of the contest.
“One team is fickle, and one team is not. One team is three steps behind, one team is not. They got all the 50/50 balls. They busted our ass in every kind of way. There's just no bones about it.”
Las Vegas fell to 8–9, with star A’ja Wilson the lone offensive bright spot, scoring 29 of the team's 54 points. Hammon hinted at potential lineup changes and underscored the need for consistency and accountability.
“If I knew what buttons to push to make sure our effort was appropriate every night, I’d be pushing those buttons … You’ve got to come with your engine started … with the gas pedal down,” she remarked.
The Aces will aim to regroup as they prepare to host the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.