The Indiana Fever, without an injured Caitlin Clark of their lineup, dominated the Las Vegas Aces in an 81-54 drubbing Thursday evening. Aces coach Becky Hammon referred to as the dropping effort “three quarters of trash” and ripped her staff over its lack of effort in a contest that was by no means significantly shut.
The Fever jumped out to a commanding early lead and didn’t waver, and in flip they snapped a 16-game dropping skid to the Aces. They dominated the visiting squad within the paint and, outdoors of a 23-point third quarter, held the Aces to not more than 14 factors in a interval. The overwhelming consequence left Hammon aghast in her postgame media availability.
“That is a whole lack of professionalism to come back in right here with that effort,” Hammon said. “Full lack of focus. They performed more durable yesterday in observe by rather a lot — wasn’t even shut. I do not understand how you step onto the ground with 20,000 folks within the stands and carry out like that. It’s the worst offensive evening I’ve ever seen, so far as I have been right here within the final 4 years.”
A’ja Wilson amassed 29 factors within the Aces’ lone productive particular person efficiency. No different participant had greater than six factors, as Jackie Young was the one one moreover Wilson to make multiple discipline purpose. The squad as a complete went 16-for-61 from the sphere for an abysmal 26.2% capturing clip and 3-of-16 from past the arc for an 18.8% 3-point charge.
All of these missed photographs additionally led to a one-sided contest on the boards, with the Fever outrebounding the Aces by a whopping 37-26 margin.
“I assumed they have been grabbing and holding us,” Hammon mentioned. “It is a rugby match, and my staff does not need to play rugby again. And so we obtained our ass kicked. Interval. There needs to be some battle again. If they are going to permit that type of physicality, my staff has to step up and match that physicality. Interval.
“We simply get punked all evening as a result of one staff is bodily and one isn’t. One staff is three steps behind, and one staff isn’t. They obtained all of the 50-50 balls. I imply, they busted our ass in each type of approach. There’s simply no two bones about it. It is one of many worst video games I’ve ever seen.”
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The Aces slipped underneath .500 on the yr and fell to 8-9 with the defeat. Up subsequent is a bounce-back alternative on July 6 towards a Connecticut Sun staff they crushed by 26 factors simply over per week in the past. It is going to take a considerably higher effort on each ends of the ground to reply from their worst outing of the season and enhance to 2-0 towards the Solar.
“Three quarters of trash,” Hammon mentioned. “The offense was trash. The protection was trash.”