Becky Hammon’s predicament with officiating isn’t going anywhere this season, either. The Aces’ head coach had highlighted the league’s officiating quality last September and was brave enough to do so after her team’s win over the Atlanta Dream 10 days earlier. But it was after her team’s loss to the Dallas Wings on Thursday that all hell broke loose for her.

The Aces dropped their second straight game this season, and Hammon went into a fresh rant against the league’s officiating. “A’ja Wilson shoots one free-throw. Chennedy Carter, zero, Jackie Young, zero,” she said.

“I’m f****** tired of that b******t. I’m not saying they didn’t earn their 22 down there. But when Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chennedy Carter all combined, that’s a problem. We’re not getting the same whistle. Give me my fine.”

Hammon’s frustration stems from the imbalance in free throws. While the Aces took 12 visits to the free-throw line, the Dallas Wings had 10 more in a tightrope game. The Wings capitalized, converting 19 points from the line, while Hammon’s team went 7-for-12.

The striking difference in free-throw points tilted the back-and-forth game in Dallas’ favor, clinching the home game 87-95, leaving Hammon questioning the thin line the refs are operating on this season. A glimpse into the game’s box score would give you a fair idea of what Hammon’s rant was about.

Awak Kuier, a Dallas forward who came off the bench and played just 21 minutes, went to the free-throw line 4 times. Meanwhile, Las Vegas players like A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chennedy Carter accounted for just 1 free throw in the combined minutes they played.

Now, the credibility of the 22 free throws that Las Vegas gave away is a different perspective altogether. And Hammon isn’t even interested in it, as her only concern was the lack of consistency that existed in the fouls called between the two teams. This imbalance doesn’t seem to be a one-off for the Aces, though.

In their win over the Atlanta Dream on May 16, the Aces took just 17 visits to the free-throw line. Against it, Atlanta took 37, a striking difference of 20 free-throw attempts. “The one thing that jumps out to me is foul discrepancy,” Hammon said in the postgame presser. “My starting one, two, and three didn’t shoot any free throws for a game that they played 34-32 minutes.”

In fact, the Las Vegas Aces are tied for last in the league in terms of free throws received this season, as per ESPN Alexa Philippou. Hammon’s team averages 18.3 free throws in the season. Given these factors, the Aces head coach’s complaint seems well-founded, even though she may face a fine for her stance in the press conference.

To be honest, Becky Hammon isn’t the only one to rally against the league’s officiating calls this season. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart echoed the same following her team’s win over the Phoenix Mercury.

“It’s really frustrating,” Stewart had said. “I feel like when we’re the aggressors, we get fouls called on us. When other teams are aggressors, it’s play on. Fine, fair – but the whistle needs to go both ways.”

These recurring complaints are a serious concern for the league, given that the officiating quality was one of the most sought-after points in the offseason. It’s definitely something the league needs to take notice of. After all, no basketball fans want to watch a game where one side gets an advantage solely because of inconsistent calls.

But in the Las Vegas Aces-Dallas Wings game, officiating wasn’t the only nemesis that the defending champions had to deal with.

Becky Hammon Puts the Blame on Her Team’s Defense After Dallas Wings Loss

While the free throws were already a concern for Las Vegas, the defense further exposed the team’s shortcomings. Against the Dallas Wings, the Aces gave away 50 points in the second half. The defending champions blew away an 8-point lead they had moving into the third quarter.

Dallas gradually worked its way back into the contest behind the shot-making of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd before taking complete control in the fourth quarter. The Wings erased the deficit to enter the final period tied at 72, then pulled away through a late surge sparked by Kuier’s timely perimeter shooting and Jessica Shepard’s relentless work on the glass. By the final buzzer, Dallas had outscored Las Vegas 50-34 after halftime, turning a manageable deficit into one of the Aces’ most frustrating defeats of the young season.

Furthermore, they even conceded 49% from the field, and also allowed the Wings to go 10 of 22 from deep. Becky Hammon was clear to pinpoint it in the post-game press conference.

“I think our defense s*****,” Hammon said. “Gave up 50 points in the second half. We did a nice job in the first quarter, and then you just have slippage, and the slippage compounds, and you don’t have enough timeouts to stop the bleeding. And then we stop moving the ball offensively. So, it compounds. We started taking some uncharacteristic shots in the fourth quarter, and yeah that’s what happens when you don’t play defense.”

For most of the season, the Aces have been a formidable defensive side. With players like A’ja Wilson and Chennedy Carter in the mix, the team has a decent defensive rating of 106.9. That reputation took a hit in Arlington, where Dallas repeatedly generated extra possessions and found offensive rhythm both inside and beyond the arc during its comeback. But the Dallas Wings game raised an early warning for them in these initial stretches of the season.

Offensively, the Aces were decent. Wilson led the night with 21 points while Jackie Young added 19. They even scored 44% from the field in the game. Carter also provided an early spark with 14 points off the bench, but Dallas ultimately had the game’s biggest individual performances. Shepard delivered a historic 22-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, while Fudd scored 22 points in the first start of her WNBA career. But giving away 50 points in just two quarters is unacceptable, and it came back to haunt the Aces at the end of the game.