Becky Hammon slams Aces after 27-point loss to Fever - ESPN

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon went off on her team's performance in Thursday night's 81-54 loss to the Indiana Fever, calling it «one of the worst games I've ever seen.»

The Fever, coming off a victory Tuesday over Minnesota in the Commissioner's Cup final, broke a 16-game losing streak against the Aces that dated back to 2019. Indiana was without guard Caitlin Clark (groin injury) for the fourth consecutive game, but its offense, led by Kelsey Mitchell's 25 points, was still sharp.

It was the opposite for Las Vegas, which shot 26.2% from the field. A'ja Wilson was the only Aces player to score in double figures with 29 points; their next-highest scorer was Jackie Young with six points. Wilson was 9-of-18 from the field, but the rest of the Aces were a combined 7-of-43.

«That's a complete lack of professionalism to come here with that effort,» Hammon said of the Aces, who at 8-9 are fifth in the Western Conference. «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 wasn't any happier with the Aces' defense, which has been a concern all season. Asked what was most problematic, Hammon cited the abundance of layups the team allowed.

«They were in the paint [getting] downhill layups all night,» Hammon said. «I don't really have any answers for you. The effort and the focus just were not there. I thought they were grabbing and holding us, so it's a rugby match. 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. My team has to step