The Las Vegas Aces broke their winning streak on Tuesday with a 93 to 85 loss to the Chicago Sky. The Sky’s Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese led their team to victory. Carter put up 34 points while Reese delivered 10 rebounds. After a three-game stretch on the road, the back-to-back champs faced the defeat at Michelob Ultra Arena in front of a packed crowd. And to make matters worse, rookie Kate Martin suffered a scary injury.
“They’re a little more selfish at home, we have our friends and family there. Everybody wants to be the it girl,” coach Becky Hammon said during the post-game press conference.
Among the spectators were several pro athletes and celebrities, including Usher, who has a residency in Vegas. Despite all of the action surrounding the court, Las Vegas could sustain enough energy in the first half to lead to a win. The teamwork wasn't there until the second half so despite rallying from a 21-point deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter, they couldn't secure the win.
“I need them to resist the urge to when they’re like ‘I gotta do more. I. I. I,’” Hammon said. “Do less actually. Get off the ball and give your team a great look. We had none of that.”
Emotional moment: Aces’ Kate Martin suffers injury
With 1:19 left in the first quarter, Las Vegas rookie Kate Martin was hauled off the court due to a leg injury. “Money Martin” was heading down the court when she slipped. She was down on the floor for several minutes. When she was able to get up, Martin needed help to get back to the locker room. She later returned to the bench but she did not play the remainder of the game.
“I don’t know how bad it is but she’s a tough cookie,” Hammon said of the injury during the post-game conference on Tuesday.
It was an emotional moment for the rook and her team. While on the court after the incident, Martin’s teammates rallied around her, covering her with a towel to obscure the view from cameras. A'ja Wilson, who’s created a bond with the new Aces guard, was one of the teammates who came to Martin’s aid.
“I’m going to take care of my rookie no matter what. She’s one of us,” Wilson said on Tuesday night after the game. “Cameras be getting in your business. We don’t want that, we don’t need that. We’re going to protect her at all costs because we never know what the internet or people may do.”
Defeating a trend: Aces' struggle in first halves
The Aces trailed by 13 points after the first quarter. Compounded with a troubling 18 turnovers in just the first half, the slow start underscores their recurring struggle to start games strong.
“We were trying to make hero plays and we didn’t try to do the simple things right,” Tiffany Hayes said after the loss. “You can try to do those hero plays, as they pile onto each other that’s where all turnovers come.”
This pattern of playing catch-up has become a concerning trend for the defending champions. Despite their resilience shown in Sunday's comeback victory against the Washington Mystics, where they rallied from a 15-point deficit to win 89-77, replicating that feat against the Chicago Sky proved elusive. The efforts to mount comebacks after a sluggish first half continue to strain the team.
“Those are hard holes to dig out of,” coach Hammon said Tuesday night. “Even if we had won this game, we still feel that there’s a lot of things that we could get better at, defensively especially.”
Rebounding was a glaring issue against the Sky. Chicago dominated the boards 56-32. Chicago also picked up 14 second-chance points, while the Aces got 3. Picking up the pace to stop Chicago in its tracks would’ve helped if the Sky wasn’t already moving fast. Hustle and defensive positioning remain crucial for the two-time champs if they hope to snag the three-peat.
“It’s on us, it’s a lot of self-infliction that we have to overcome. But the biggest thing is we aren’t ready for people’s first punch,” Wilson said.
Wilson had another record-breaking night, leading the Aces with 28 points to extend her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 37 games, which is the longest active streak in the league. She was aggressive, intentional, and dominated with 14 rebounds and five blocks. Despite her efforts, containing the offensive threats posed by Carter, rookie Angel Reese and their band of supreme athletes require a collective defensive effort. Addressing the fundamentals will be critical as the Aces seek to overcome their slow starts and defensive lapses this season.
“You fumble all the little things, you're sure to fumble the big things,” Hammon said.
WNBA All-Star/Olympic Break
The loss against the Chicago Sky comes before the WNBA All-Star/Olympic break. The Las Vegas Aces has four players headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA. After a short break, it’s back on the road for the Olympics for A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum. But, first the four head to Phoenix for the WNBA All-Star Game.
“I gotta give myself 24 hours to soak in this loss. But I’m not going to lose sight of how much of a blessing it is to be an Olympian,” Wilson said of the upcoming games.
The season continues in mid-August. The hope is that though there will be time away from practicing as a team, lessons were learned on the court on Tuesday. With a three-peat in sight, a wake-up call is in order.
“I think we kind of needed this, to kind of wake us up a bit, to tell us we have a little more work to do,” Wilson said in Tuesday night’s post-game conference.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s NBA or W, these last games before a break I can’t tell you how many times a good team loses,” Hammon said on Tuesday night. “We fell prey to checking out early,”
Rest assured, Hammon says this break will also be used as an opportunity to get back to the winning back-to-back champions the Las Vegas Aces and their fan base have become accustomed to. After the Aces’ Olympians return, it’s back to the drawing board for Las Vegas as they look to snag a three-peat. A strong second half is needed.
“We’re going to do it basically, almost like a mini training camp, reboot, recalibrate, and more importantly set the mind because the mindset has to be there or we’re going nowhere,” Hammon said after Tuesday’s loss against Chicago.
The Aces return on August 17 when they’ll host the New York Liberty for a 1 pm PT tip-off.
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