The Las Vegas Aces Lost, But Becky Hammon’s Postgame Quotes Deserve a Netflix Special
Welcome to Hell: The 3rd Quarter Lives Here
Michelob Ultra Arena turned into a full-blown exorcism Friday night.
The Las Vegas Aces dropped their third straight, this time getting cooked medium-well by the Seattle Storm, 90–83, in a game that felt like a fever dream inside a defensive dumpster.
Becky Hammon has coached through injuries, trades, and playoff wars — but the Aces’ 3rd quarters might finally break her spirit.
This wasn’t just a loss. It was a genuine wake up call.
“It can’t get worse than that first five in the 3rd quarter…I’m going to discuss it with my coaches.” – Becky Hammon
The “first five” Becky’s referring to? Her starters.
The ones that gave up 27 points in 7 minutes after halftime.
Hammon said the quiet part out loud.
“Our defense was atrocious in the 3rd quarter and that was our first five.” – Becky Hammon
By the end of it, she sounded like she needed therapy and tequila in equal doses.
“It’s our Achilles heel… Maybe I’ll just start a different 5 for the 3rd quarter… it’s gross.” – Becky Hammon
Becky said “gross” like she just found a hair in her Caesar salad. She’s ready to swap the starters for a local rec league team.
Skylar and Nneka Treated Vegas Like Open Gym
Seattle didn’t just win — they sunned the Aces.
Nneka Ogwumike dropped 25 points, 12 rebounds, and looked like she ordered a double-double off Uber Eats. Skylar Diggins-Smith added 24 points and 6 assists with the composure of someone checking her emails during the fourth quarter.
Erica Wheeler came off the bench and hit double digits in the fourth alone. Gabby Williams pulled in a career-high 12 rebounds like she got bonus points for each one. The Storm were scrapping. The Aces were sleepwalking.
“The bigger issue is our defense and I thought Nneka and Skylar were way too comfortable all night… they looked like they were doing warmup drills.” – Becky Hammon
That’s not an insult. That’s an obituary for your defensive pride.
On the Aces’ side: A’ja Wilson returned from concussion protocol with 22 and 14. and the good news: Wilson looked dominant when she played. The bad news: she threw the ball to Seattle seven times like she was a secret Storm ambassador.
She knows it. She owned it. But even so, this wasn’t the triumphant comeback you draw up when your MVP returns.
“I gotta start putting the ball in the hoop and I gotta stop giving the ball to the other team.” – A’ja Wilson
You know it’s bad when your postgame sounds like a tweet from your Finsta.
“Just giving the ball to the other team… That’s been our biggest hump… the 3rd quarter. I’m going to get to the bottom of it for my team and I.” – A’ja Wilson
A’ja’s trying to CSI her way into a solution, but there’s only so much she can do when the entire third quarter turns into a Scooby-Doo blooper reel.
Aaliyah Nye gave them 13 off the bench and looked like the only one hustling for her life out there.But all the box score fluff doesn’t matter when the opposing team treats your defense like it’s made of marshmallows.
“We’re not playing [defense].” – A’ja Wilson
That quote should be on a banner above the practice facility. Or a t-shirt. Maybe both.
Additionally, Jackie Young added 22 on 8-of-13 shooting. Young kept also spoke about the lack of defense. Young didn’t point fingers, she didn’t pout — she just tried to make something out of the mess.
“We just have to execute on the defensive end… We had another bad 3Q, so we have to do something, change something… that’s the biggest thing.” – Jackie Young
If effort were a stat, Jackie’s box score would need a second page. But even she couldn’t stop the bleeding. The Storm smelled fear and finished it off with a 9-2 run that included Wheeler’s three, Skylar’s jumper, and Nneka’s cherry-on-top layup.
The Aces? They missed three straight shots, clanked three out of six free throws, and coughed up two turnovers in the final 5 minutes.
Even the most loyal fans are ready to call the CDC about this cursed 3rd quarter. Becky’s ready to change the locks
