The Las Vegas Aces faced off with the Atlanta Dream at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, but the real action happened within the first half of the game. It was a high-stakes game for the Dream, as the Aces have already qualified for the playoffs, and a win here would have meant a big step towards securing home-court advantage for Atlanta by finishing in the top four. The game lived up to its expectations and even saw Aces head coach Becky Hammon being ejected in the second quarter itself.
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With around 5:06 left in the second quarter of the game, Hammon received her first technical for protesting after an apparent no-call on a play involving A’ja Wilson. She then quickly received her second technical for protesting vehemently against her first technical, ultimately being ejected from the game, per a video posted to X by Underdog WNBA.
The loss was the Las Vegas Aces‘ second straight. The reigning WNBA champions were coming off a 92-87 loss to the league leaders, the Minnesota Lynx, on Saturday.
Wilson did try to stem the tide in their favor, putting up 32 points and 14 rebounds, but it was not enough as the Aces made far too many mistakes in the game. They registered 17 turnovers, conceding 18 points as a result to the Dream.
Jordin Canada displayed some efficient shooting for Atlanta, going 7-of-11 from the field and putting up 17 points on the board, along with five assists and 3 steals.
But the talking point among the fans remained Becky Hammon‘s ejection, and they wasted no time flooding the comments under the Underdog WNBA post with their thoughts on this incident.
“That 2nd tech was WAAAAAAAY too quick! Becky was getting called with her staff and Wilson,” one fan said, referring to the fact that Hammon got the two technicals at very close intervals.
Hammon has always been known for her fiery approach. In an earlier game this season, Hammon tripped and fell, almost taking out a referee on the sidelines while shouting at another referee on the court.
“That was Becky channeling her inner Pop! 🤣 Learned from the best!,” another fan said, drawing a parallel to the San Antonio Spurs’ longtime HC Gregg Popovich, who was also a famously fiery character on the sidelines.
“Hey, I love Becky for this. She rides for her players no matter what,” one fan said, referencing how the incident began after Hammon reportedly protested a no-call against A’ja Wilson.
“When Becky starts walking onto the court to speak her mind, you know someone’s getting tossed,” another fan said. Clearly, Hammon is not known for exercising moderation in her protests.
“This league never goes a night without drama 🤣🤣,” one fan said. The fans and spectators clearly got their money’s worth of entertainment on the night.
Despite Hammon’s ejection, the Aces still hold fourth place in the league standings, with a record of 24-13. The Aces will hope for less drama as they hope to end their two-game skid against the Connecticut Sun next on August 20.