Becky Hammon Rips 'Atrocious' Aces Defense After 31-Point Loss to Lynx

Aces head coach Becky Hammon hasn't minced words with Las Vegas' struggles this season, and she offered a particularly scathing assessment of her squad's defense with the media postgame.

"The defense was atrocious. It was atrocious."Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon

Las Vegas struggled against a fierce Lynx attack, surrendering at least 24 points in every single quarter. By the close of the third quarter, Minnesota's lead had ballooned to 24 points.

"The 'my bads' add up," Hammon put bluntly. "No communication, people not on the same page, not executing scheme. Got one person doing this, another person doing that. That's communication, that's discipline, that's being a professional basketball team -- the ability to execute a scheme defensively."

While Friday night's shellacking denotes a particularly glaring low point, Las Vegas has struggled defensively all season long. Officially past the midway point of the season with 25 games in the books, the Aces rank 9th out of 13 teams in opposing points and defensive rating.

Two-time Defensive Player of the Year A'ja Wilson has continued to protect the rim at an elite level, pacing all WNBA players with 2.3 blocks per game. Still, Las Vegas has been below average in nearly every other facet defensively.

The ugly defeat comes on the second part of a back-to-back and the third game in four days for the Aces, a less-than-ideal stretch of scheduling out of All-Star break.

"I think it's a factor. I don't think it tells the whole story," Hammon noted coldly. "It's hard being a professional athlete. Physically and mentally, it's exhausting. The greats handle hard well. We have not handled hard well."

Las Vegas has endured its fair share of hardship, sputtering at 12-13 despite an undeniably talented roster on paper. With hype building around the offseason addition of 6-time All-Star Jewell Lloyd, the Aces have failed to live up to their lofty preseason expectations.

As for their next steps, there's only one path forward for Hammon.

"You get up the next day and you go to work, and you keep teaching and you keep coaching and you keep encouraging and you keep trying to will them there," Hammon explained. "That's the only way I know how. You just go back to work."

The Aces' four-game road trip continues on Sunday as Las Vegas looks to rebound against the 7-18 Dallas Wings.