The Dallas Wings defeated the Las Vegas Aces 95-87 on Thursday night in a game that will be remembered less for the final score and more for what happened after the buzzer. Aces head coach Becky Hammon walked to the postgame podium visibly frustrated — and what she said was as raw and unfiltered as anything heard from a WNBA sideline this season.
The Box Score
The Wings led by as many as 12 points and closed out the game on a dominant second half, outscoring the Aces 50-34 over the final two quarters after Las Vegas held a 53-45 halftime lead.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces with a game-high 21 points, adding 7 rebounds and 3 assists on 10-of-24 shooting. Despite generating 8 fouls drawn — the most of any player on the floor — Wilson converted just 0-of-1 from the free throw line, a discrepancy that became the centerpiece of Hammon’s postgame fury.
Chelsea Gray had a rough offensive night, finishing with just 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting (20%) but remained a stabilizing presence as a distributor, dishing out 8 assists against just 1 turnover. Jackie Young contributed 15 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds but shot an inefficient 7-of-20 from the field.
On the Dallas side, Jessica Shepard was the undisputed Player of the Game — delivering an extraordinary performance of 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, recording a historic triple-double while shooting 8-of-13 from the field. Azzi Fudd added 22 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting, and Paige Bueckers contributed 20 points and 6 assists to round out a dominant Wings offensive night.
Hammon Unloads
With the stat sheet in hand and frustration boiling over, Hammon didn’t mince words at the podium:
“The other thing, I mean, A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw, Kennedy Carter zero, Jackie Young zero. I’m f***ing tired of that bullsh*t. I’m not saying they didn’t earn their twenty-two down there, but when a walkaway shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young and Kennedy Carter all combined… that’s a problem. And I’m not — we’re not getting the same whistle. I think that’s fine.”
The numbers back her up. Wilson generated 8 fouls drawn on the night yet went to the line just once. Young, who took 20 field goal attempts, was never sent to the stripe. Meanwhile, Dallas shot 19-of-22 from the free throw line — nearly triple Las Vegas’s 7-of-12 attempts. The disparity in free throw attempts — 22 for Dallas versus 12 for Las Vegas — is a legitimate statistical anomaly in a game this close.
The Bigger Picture
This loss drops the Aces to a position they’re unaccustomed to — on the wrong end of a blowout second half — while raising legitimate questions about officiating consistency when the league’s reigning MVP is on the floor. Whether the league responds to Hammon’s comments remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: when a coach uses language that direct at a postgame podium, she’s not just venting — she’s making a statement she fully intends to stand behind.
The Aces will look to regroup when they face the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday.
