Reigning Champs Got Destroyed 99-66 and Becky Hammon's Message Was Brutal

The Las Vegas Aces are defending WNBA champions who just got absolutely dismantled by Phoenix. We're talking 99-66. That's the kind of loss that makes you wonder if something is seriously broken before the season even gets going.

What made it worse? This wasn't some fluke. The Aces got torched in the second and third quarters, gave up 11-of-24 three-pointers, and looked completely lost on defense. Last year they were one of the league's best at defending the three-ball, holding opponents to 31.6%. Saturday? Not even close.

Becky Hammon Wasn't Pulling Any Punches

After the loss, Vegas coach Becky Hammon laid it out raw. "I don't think we're in good enough shape to play at the level that we need to," she said. Then she really went there: "The defense, it looks like we haven't worked on it. We've been doing it an hour-and-a-half every day in practice."

But here's the kicker. Hammon said the real issue isn't effort or preparation, it's execution. "The little details that we talk about that are separation factors, we're not doing them," she explained. "And until we decide we want to do them, we'll continue to get our butt kicked like this." That's not a coach being nice. That's a coach telling his team to wake up.

Even A'ja Wilson, a four-time league MVP, couldn't carry them. She finished with 19 points. Jackie Young added 12. That's not getting it done against anyone.

LA Sparks Are a Different Beast Now

Vegas gets a chance to bounce back Sunday against Los Angeles, but the Sparks aren't a pushover anymore. They had the league's worst defense last year, allowing 88.2 points per game and a league-most 10.1 three-pointers a contest. But they just signed 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike, who averaged 18.3 points and seven rebounds last season with Seattle.

That matters. Kelsey Plum, who won championships with Vegas in 2022 and 2023 before joining the Sparks last year, told the LA Times that Ogwumike's arrival changed everything. "I don't think that last year I realized how big of a decision I made," she said. "When Nneka signed this year, I was like, 'OK, I'm not crazy. They're seeing the vision I am seeing.'"

The Sparks frontcourt is stacked now with Ogwumike, former Aces player Dearica Hamby (18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds last season), and young defensive talent Cameron Brink, the 2024 No. 2 overall pick who averaged 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds across 34 games in her first two WNBA seasons.

Vegas needs to figure out their defense fast. Sunday in LA is going to be a test.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.