Aces’ 33-point loss to Mercury leaves Becky Hammon using home intruder analogy

The Las Vegas Aces are the defending champions and a team that has won the WNBA Finals in three of the last four seasons. They are stacked with superstar talent, including A’ja Wilson, one of the best players in WNBA history. The team came into the new season expected to once again compete for the title, but things didn’t start out pretty. The Aces lost their first game of the season by 33 points. Their ring ceremony was ruined when the Phoenix Mercury beat them by a score of 99-66.

Las Vegas swept the Mercury in last season’s WNBA Finals, so Phoenix came out looking for vengeance. The Aces proved to be ill-prepared in their opening game, and head coach Becky Hammon acknowledged the team’s defensive performance wasn’t up to their championship standards.

“The biggest point was, you know, we talk about where we pick the ball up, and we’re giving up 80% of the court for free before we touch anybody,” Hammon said. “It’s like trying to stop an intruder to get to your refrigerator when they’re already in your kitchen. You have to meet them outside of the white picket fence and start defending from there. Then they have to work to get through the front lawn.”

Becky Hammon after Aces lost by 33.
“It’s like trying to stop an intruder to get to your refrigerator when they’re already in your kitchen. You gotta meet them outside of the white picket fence and start defending from there. Then they gotta work to get through the front lawn” pic.twitter.com/uoUQ5RJRqk

— The Sportsnista (@TheSportsnista) May 9, 2026

Hammon’s squad was too lackadaisical on the defensive end in their blowout loss. The team didn’t pick up defensively above the break, which allowed Mercury players to get a head of steam attacking the rack. The Mercury shot 49.4% from the field. They also capitalized on open looks from 3-point land, as they made 45.8% of their long bombs.

The Aces have the defensive tools to shut down opponents. After all, Wilson is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Effort and energy play a big part in defense, though, so the team will need to heed Hammon’s critiques and play defense over the duration of the entire court if they are to get back on track.

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