Caitlin Clark missed her fourth straight game and ninth overall this season on Thursday. Despite facing an Indiana Fever team without their best player, however, the Las Vegas Aces were still no match for them.
Not only did the Aces lose, but they were blown out by the Fever by 27 points. A'ja Wilson was the only member of the team to score in double digits with 29 points, as Las Vegas scored a season-low in points in the 81-54 loss.
The next top scorer from the Aces was Jackie Young, who made just six points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field. The team shot 26.2% from the field and 18.8% from deep overall.
As if their poor offense was not bad enough, the Aces also didn't step up defensively. Three players scored in double digits for the Fever, with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston combining for 45 points on 18-of-31 shooting.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon was naturally frustrated following the ugly loss, and she didn't hold back in her criticism of her team's performance.
"If I knew which one was coming, I could prepare myself better," Hammon said of her team's uncharacteristic display, per Moreau Sports Media Prod Co.
She added, "Tonight we put a third quarter together and after that, three quarters of trash. The offense was trash the defense was trash."
To Hammon's point, the Aces had their best quarter in the third when they scored 23 points. Nonetheless, they failed to score more than 15 in all the other quarters, even scoring just seven in the final frame.
The Las Vegas coach was also not happy with the "complete lack of professionalism" and focus that her team showed, noting that she doesn't know "how you step on the court with 20,000 people in the stands and perform like that."
Las Vegas dropped to 8-9 on the season with the loss. They play the struggling Connecticut Sun next on Sunday, in what should be a good opportunity for the team to return to the win column.
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