Becky Hammon Slams Aces for 'Trash' Effort in Loss to Fever with Caitlin Clark Out

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon said she witnessed "one of the worst games I've ever seen" while watching her team lose 81-54 on Thursday night to an Indiana Fever squad missing Caitlin Clark to injury.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson scored 29 points, but none of Wilson's teammates posted more than six in the blowout loss to Kelsey Mitchell and Co.

"We put a third quarter together. After that, three quarters of trash," Hammon said at the 3:30 mark of her postgame press conference on Thursday night (h/t Ballers Magazine). "The offense was trash. The defense was trash.

"And, at some point, you have to say that's a little more us than [them], because it's happened to multiple opponents with us."

The Aces committed 19 turnovers while recording a season-low scoring total on 26.2 percent shooting (16-for-61) from the field, while making just 18.8 percent of their three-point attempts (3-for-16).

"There's not a whole lot to say. That's a complete lack of professionalism, to come in here with that effort. Complete lack of focus. They played harder yesterday in practice by a lot, wasn't even close," Hammon said. "So, I don't know how you step onto the floor with 20,000 people in the stands and perform like that.

"That's one of the worst offensive, it is the worst offensive night I've ever seen, as far as I've been here in the last four years."

The Fever led the whole way while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and out-rebounding the Aces 37-26.

"They're shooting layups. They're shooting layups," Hammon said about the Fever's offense. "Just don't go to the defense, turn the corner. I mean, I don't think you can play much worse at either end, but it definitely affects your offense, having to take it out from underneath the net every time."

Hammon continued: "One team is fickle, and one team is not. One team is three steps behind, and one team is not. I mean, they busted our ass in every kind of way... there's just no two bones about it. It's one of the worst games I've ever seen."

The Aces, who won back-to-back titles in their first two seasons under Hammon, dropped to 8-9 with the defeat and are in danger of recording a losing record for the first time since the franchise's inaugural campaign in Vegas in 2018.

This isn't the first time Hammon has criticized the team's energy this season. She also called out the Aces for their effort after losing to the Washington Mystics last Thursday.

"My frustration has been seeing greatness in moments and seeing absolute disasters in moments, and how there's kind of no in between. It's one way or the other. I just want solid, basic basketball," Hammon said after last week's loss to the Mystics.

Hammon will have a shot at getting the Aces back on track as the team's road swing continues with a Sunday road game against the struggling Connecticut Sun. The Sun are heading into the weekend at the bottom of the WNBA standings with a 2-15 record.