Coach Becky Hammon has said passim the ups and downs of the regular play that the Las Vegas Aces are a antithetic benignant of occupation to lucifer up against erstwhile they “lock in” defensively.
In fact, the Aces were 15-1 erstwhile holding their opponents to 85 points oregon fewer, including their lone regular-season triumph implicit Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
Make that 16-1 arsenic the Aces defeated the Fever 102-85 to unfastened their best-of-three quarterfinal bid successful the WNBA playoffs connected Sunday astatine Michelob Ultra Arena.
Game 2 of the quarterfinals is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday successful Indianapolis. The Aces tin beforehand to the semifinals against either the Golden State Valkyries oregon Dallas Wings.
That 85 points was the astir points Las Vegas has allowed during its existent eight-game winning streak. Not a atrocious feat, considering Indiana averaged a league-leading 96 points per game, which acceptable an WNBA record.
“You person to bash it by committee,” Hammon said of her defense. “They evidently person truly talented guards, truthful we’re conscionable trying to enactment and marque their looks arsenic hard arsenic possible.
“You’re not going to instrumentality everything away, but we conscionable privation to marque it somewhat contested and recognize that they are going to adjacent marque immoderate of those. They are pugnacious changeable takers, but we conscionable wanted to marque it arsenic pugnacious arsenic possible.”
Another crushed the defence has begun to flourish has been the Aces’ occurrence successful forcing turnovers. In Sunday’s win, Las Vegas turned 17 Indiana turnovers into 28 points.
The Aces person forced an mean of much than 16 turnovers during their eight-game winning streak.
“When defenses are locked successful and they’re committed to taking distant definite things, you inactive play wrong the squad and instrumentality what they springiness you,” Hammon said. “I thought successful the fractional tribunal our defence was beauteous solid.
“They were capable to get retired and tally connected america a small bit, but for the astir portion we did a decent occupation astatine defending the 3-point line. That is simply a precise talented team, truthful I thought wide we were truly solid, particularly successful the 2nd fractional to clasp that squad to conscionable 38 points is simply a batch of hard work.”
Contact Donovan Hicks astatine dhicks@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HicksSports connected X.
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