The Las Vegas Aces’ roller coaster start to the season continued Thursday when they blew a 13-point lead to the Dallas Wings and gave up 50 second-half points in a 95-87 loss. Shortly after the defeat, Becky Hammon let out her frustration on the officials in a rant that she ended with “give me my fine.”
The Aces shot 46 shots in the paint against the Wings, and 62 of their 82 field goal attempts were 2-pointers, but they only got to the line for 12 free throws — tied for the third-fewest by a team in a game this season and 10 fewer than the Wings’ 22 free throw attempts.
Hammon was convinced that the officials were not calling the game the same way on both ends.
“A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw. Chennedy Carter, zero, Jackie Young, zero,” Hammon said. “I’m f—ing tired of that bullshit. I’m not saying they didn’t earn their 22 down there. But when Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young and Chennedy Carter all combined, that’s a problem.
“We’re not getting the same whistle. Give me my fine.”
The sideswipe on Kuier was harsh, but it’s understandable that Hammon is frustrated. In a season that has thus far been defined in large part by the league’s new emphasis on freedom of movement, the Aces are the only team in the league that is taking fewer free throws per game than last season.
The Aces are also tied for last in the league in free-throw attempts per game (18.3) and are last in free-throw rate (0.255). Furthermore, their eight free-throw attempts in their season-opening loss to the Phoenix Mercury are the only instance all season in which a team has failed to reach double-digit free-throw attempts.
Wilson, who only shot one free throw on Thursday despite taking 24 shot attempts, including 16 in the paint, led the league in free throw attempts last season at 7.3 per game. This season, she’s eighth in the league at 6.3 per game. Young, who has had a rough start to the season, is down from 3.2 attempts per game last season to one per game this season, while Gray has gone from 2.4 attempts per game to 0.6 per game.
And it’s not as if Wilson and the Aces are launching 3s. In fact, they’re 12th in the league in 3-point attempts per game (20.6), second in paint attempts per game (39.8) and first in points in the paint per game (48).
The Aces’ quest for a second repeat in the last five years started with a stunning 33-point loss to the Mercury in a Finals rematch on ring night. Then they immediately won four games in a row, including a dramatic victory over the Atlanta Dream in which they blew a 19-point lead before Gray hit a last-second game winner. Now, they’ve lost their last two games and have given up 101 and 95 points to the Los Angeles Sparks and Wings, respectively.
Following Thursday’s defeat, the Aces are 4-3 and sit in seventh place in the crowded standings. They’ll have a chance to get back in the win column on Sunday when they return to the court against the Golden State Valkyries, who are tied for the fifth-worst opponent free-throw rate in the league (0.365).
