LAS VEGAS – Tuesday night at the raucous Michelob ULTRA Arena started fairly well for the Aces. However, it quickly took a turn for the worse — before going from bad to ugly.
The defending WNBA champions suffered consecutive defeats for just the third time this season when the Atlanta Dream handed the Aces a 97-82 loss — on a night where head coach Becky Hammon got tossed midway through the second quarter, and her trademark brand of basketball never showed up.
Despite finally getting a couple of days off between games, the rest had the opposite of the intended effect on the hosts’ defense. The red flags flashed in the first quarter, though the Aces did lead 25-24 going into the second.
The Dream continued their high scoring in the second frame, shooting 53 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range, and 100 percent from the free-throw line at the half — en route to building a commanding 43-31 cushion at the break. The Aces were able to reconvene with Hammon in the locker room after she was hit with two quick technicals following her demonstration of displeasure with one of the officials — but it didn't change a whole lot.
Atlanta ended the game with four of its starters having at least 17 points and three notching north of 20. Rhyne Howard paced the Dream with 23, including several important buckets in the fourth quarter as the Aces tried to fight back.
Angel Reese made the interior her own, dropping a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. She added four assists and four steals while going 8-for-9 at the free-throw line. Allisha Gray (21) and Jordin Canada (17) combined for 38 points.
“Our challenge right now is just the lock-in factor defensively,” assistant coach Charlene Thomas-Swinson — subbing in for Hammon at the post-game press conference — said. “We did not take care of business like we needed to, in reference to allowing Atlanta to get downhill on us. But again it’s a credit to Atlanta, too.
“[Canada] knows how to get downhill. The reality that we allowed [Reese] to get 18 of her 21 points [in the paint]. It’s just the reality of us being able to be better defensively. But my hat's off to Atlanta. They did the job that they needed to do. They aggressively took the ball to us, to the paint, and we didn’t have an answer for that.”
Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson anchored the Aces’ comeback attempts with a monstrous stat line of 27 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and six stocks (four blocks, two steals). The double-double was her 108th career game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, moving her within one of all-time leader Tina Charles (109).
However, the Aces’ Achilles’ heel tonight was inefficiency and sloppiness on the ball. Wilson shot 7-for-18 from the field (12-12 FT) and committed five of the Aces’ 17 turnovers. Jackie Young (3) and Chelsea Gray (3) were responsible for six more giveaways. 11 from your big three is a recipe for disaster. 15 of the Aces’ 17 turnovers were live ball, leading to instant offense for Atlanta.
“Sometimes you just want it to work so bad that you kind of force it,” Wilson said. “You try to think that something is there, and it’s not, and it just turns into an unforced turnover. I know for me, leading the team in turnovers, it’s not a good look. I think I was rushing [in a lot of situations] when I didn’t have to.
“I think it’s just a matter of slowing down the basketball a little bit. Like [Young] was saying, we kind of got into a rhythm and were like, ‘Now we can get it all back right now,’ and that’s just not the case. Sometimes you just have to take a beat and just kind of play our game.”
Young came alive in the second half after being held to just seven points in the opening 20 minutes. She finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Gray chipped in 13 points and just two assists.
NaLyssa Smith scored seven of her 10 points to start the fourth quarter, helping the Aces come within single digits of the Dream. She also had six rebounds and three blocks. But after the visitors went ahead by more than 10, they never let Vegas get closer than within six.
The defeat hurt the Aces (24-13, 11-7 Home) in more ways than one — dropping them below the Indiana Fever and into fourth place in the league standings in the middle of a tight playoff seeding race.
The Fever (24-12) have one fewer loss than Vegas and hold a tiebreaker over the Aces. The Aces have the same advantage over the Dream (22-13), who are now hot on their tail in the fifth spot.
What favors the Aces’ hopes of securing home court in the postseason, though, is their run in. Their last seven games feature zero teams with winning records — starting with the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back performance against the Connecticut Sun (9-25) back at home on Thursday.