A’ja Wilson and the defending champions face a humbling start to the 2026 WNBA season
What was supposed to be one of the grandest celebrations in recent WNBA memory quickly turned into a sobering wake-up call for the Las Vegas Aces. On Saturday evening at T-Mobile Arena, the Phoenix Mercury — the same team the Aces swept in last year’s Finals — came to Las Vegas not to watch a ceremony, but to make a statement. And they made it loudly.
The Aces took a 99-66 pounding from the Phoenix Mercury in their WNBA season opener, never leading at any point and trailing by as many as 38 points in the second half. The result was nothing short of stunning, and the timing made it sting even more.
A Ceremony to Remember, a Game to Forget
The evening began in triumph. The Las Vegas Strip was buzzing with excitement as the 30th WNBA season began, with the Aces tipping off their first home game in front of an energized crowd at T-Mobile Arena. Before the opening tip, the team received their hard-earned 2025 championship rings — a design featuring the iconic Aces logo encircled by the “World Champions” title in diamonds, with the 2022, 2023, and 2025 WNBA trophies standing tall, each set with a large diamond to commemorate three championships in four years.
But once the ball was tipped, the festive mood evaporated fast. By halftime, the party was over — the Aces trailed 56-35, marking the largest deficit by a defending champion in its first game of the following season in league history. Things didn’t improve in the second half either, as the Aces were outscored 43-31 in the final two quarters.
The 33-point final margin is the largest margin of defeat by a defending champion in a season opener in WNBA history, and the largest margin of victory in a season opener for Phoenix. No matter how you frame it, the numbers are brutal.
Phoenix on Fire: A Statement Performance
The Mercury arrived with a point to prove. Phoenix shot 49 percent from the field and buried 11 three-pointers compared to just four by Las Vegas, while also forcing the Aces into 17 turnovers. It was a complete team effort from top to bottom.
Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds, while all five Mercury starters finished in double figures. Perhaps the most eye-catching performance came from an unlikely source: rookie Jovana Nogic added 19 points — all in the first half — going 4-of-5 from three-point range. Natasha Mack also posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
It was precisely this kind of multi-threat, multi-player explosion that A’ja Wilson referenced in her post-game comments. The Aces star acknowledged that Phoenix’s versatility made them nearly impossible to defend, noting that threats emerged from every position and every level of the floor. “They shot the crap out of the ball,” Wilson admitted, giving credit where it was due. “Kudos to them.”
A’ja Wilson Opens Up: Defense Was the Problem
Despite the lopsided result, Wilson remained composed and candid in her post-game assessment. She finished with a team-high 19 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset a defensive collapse that she didn’t shy away from addressing directly.
Wilson pointed out that the Mercury’s ability to operate through multiple positions made it extremely difficult for Las Vegas to anticipate or dictate the flow of the game. She stressed, however, that the open looks Phoenix enjoyed weren’t entirely the result of great offensive execution — they were just as much the product of poor defensive discipline from the Aces.
“Defensively, I feel like the league is today — particularly Phoenix is too good if they’re getting wide open looks,” Wilson said. “And we allowed them to get wide open looks because our defense was poor.”
It’s a sentiment that echoes concerns coach Becky Hammon has had to sit with through the preseason. Hammon emphasized defense throughout the preseason but has yet to see the results materialize through two preseason games and Saturday’s blowout loss. Wilson’s openness about the defensive breakdowns signals that the team is clear-eyed about what went wrong — and not making excuses.
Her response to the loss was measured and forward-looking. “Go back to the drawing board. I think we’re gonna go back to the basics, try it all over again tomorrow,” she said — a message that reflected both accountability and the mental toughness that has defined this franchise.
Historic Loss, But No Panic
Context matters here. The loss snapped the Aces’ 16-game regular-season winning streak dating back to last season, which was tied for the second-longest in WNBA history. That streak is a reminder of just how dominant this team has been — and one game, however ugly, doesn’t erase that.
Wilson herself put it in perspective after the ring ceremony, saying, “In my mind, I’ve already had the ring since October. Let’s just get on with it… The hand is getting heavy, but the crown is getting heavier.”
As disappointing as the loss was, Las Vegas has been here before — and the resounding defeat by no means suggests the Aces are in serious trouble. Last season, after a 53-point loss to Minnesota, they completely turned things around, finishing the regular season undefeated and going on to win the championship.
The Aces’ slogan for 2026 is “Never Fold” — a reflection of their resilience, and a promise that Saturday’s result is just a starting point, not a sign of things to come.
With a back-to-back already on the books — the Aces play at Los Angeles on Sunday — the reset begins immediately. If Wilson’s composed, no-excuses tone after Saturday is any indication, Las Vegas won’t be caught sleeping again anytime soon.
