The Las Vegas Aces scored 107 points Sunday and still left Chicago talking about their defense.
That was not nitpicking. It was a warning before New York.
The Aces face the Liberty on Tuesday in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game at Barclays Center, one week after New York beat them 87-76 in Las Vegas and made the matchup look longer, cleaner and more connected.
Becky Hammon did not soften the message after the Aces beat the Sky 107-99.
“We didn’t beat somebody tonight,” Hammon said. “We just outscored somebody, and that’s not the way I want to win games.”
Then she pointed straight toward Tuesday.
“We better fix our defense overnight here or else we’re going to get smacked by 30 in New York,” Hammon said.
That is the tension around this Cup final. Las Vegas enters 14-5 and has won three of its last four. New York enters 12-8 and has lost four of its last five. However, the Liberty already showed the Aces the shape of the problem.
Wilson watch
A’ja Wilson’s status is the biggest pregame question.
Wilson is listed as questionable with a right leg injury after twisting her right ankle in the fourth quarter Sunday at Chicago. She went to the locker room briefly, returned to the bench, checked back in and finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Afterward, Wilson said she was feeling good.
“It’s good,” Wilson said. “I’m working on it. Obviously, I have it taped up and everything. It’s just one of those things about the game, but I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
Wilson also entered Cup week with another honor after winning BET Sportswoman of the Year. Still, the basketball question is immediate. The Aces need her available, but they also need to defend well enough that she does not have to cover every mistake.
Hammon said as much after Chicago.
“When she gets these monster 30-and-15 games, four steals, three blocks, she just has her fingerprint all over the game,” Hammon said. “But I think collectively we have to be better on the boards and give her some help also.”
Liberty lesson
New York gave Las Vegas plenty to study last week.
The Liberty led for 94 percent of the game, built a 19-point lead and controlled the 3-point line. New York shot 13-for-31 from deep, while Las Vegas went 8-for-27. The Liberty also scored 19 points off turnovers and held the Aces to eight free throw attempts.
It was not one player, either.
Breanna Stewart had 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Sabrina Ionescu added 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Jonquel Jones scored 14, Leonie Fiebich hit four 3s and Han Xu added 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting.
That balance stretched Las Vegas in every direction.
Hammon said after that game that New York’s size and switching took time to adjust to. She also said the Aces missed good looks, but needed to help themselves better when shots did not fall.
The rematch gives them a fast test.
Not a referendum
The Aces are not treating the Cup final like a season verdict.
Hammon pushed back on that idea after Sunday’s win. Chelsea Gray did the same.
“I don’t even think we put that much on it, honestly,” Gray said. “When you look at it from that point of view, it’s a little too much.”
Gray said the Aces’ real measuring stick remains internal.
“Are we playing the right way every single time we step on the court?” Gray said.
Wilson also pointed inward. She said the Aces need to do the things they wished they had done in the first meeting with New York.
“That’s where we measure ourselves,” Wilson said.
Still, Wilson acknowledged the stage.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Wilson said. “I don’t want to say hostile, because it’s really not hostile when we go to Brooklyn. It’s just a great playoff atmosphere, and I think it gets us in the mindset of September and October.”
Defensive answer
The Aces’ offense is not the concern.
Las Vegas has scored at least 100 points six times this season. It moves the ball through Gray and Young, and still has Wilson as the central force.
But Hammon and Wilson both left Chicago unhappy.
“Our defense just was not it today,” Wilson said. “It sucked across the board.”
The Sky scored 99 points, 54 in the paint and missed enough free throws to leave the Aces room to survive. New York is not the same kind of test. The Liberty can punish paint mistakes, but they can also turn late closeouts into 3s and use their length to slow the Aces’ half-court rhythm.
Satou Sabally is out for New York, but that did not decide the first meeting. She played only eight minutes and did not score. The Liberty still won by 11.
So, the Aces already know the answer cannot be one matchup or one adjustment. It has to be care, communication and urgency across the floor.
One week ago, New York gave Las Vegas the lesson.
Tuesday night shows whether the Aces learned it fast enough.
Up next
The Aces return home Friday to face the Sky at T-Mobile Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on ION and WNBA League Pass.
It will be another quick turnaround for Las Vegas, which opens July with Chicago before closing the month with another regular-season meeting against New York.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
