It was all a bad dream as the Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon had to be restrained by center A’ja Wilson (22) and assistant coach Larry Lewis after being ejected in the first half against the Atlanta Dream at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Tue Aug 18, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez

After a bit of a slow start mid-way through the first ten minutes of play on Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Aces (24-13) tied up the game in their matchup with the Atlanta Dream (22-13) 12 apiece. The Aces finished off the first quarter with a slim 25-24 lead.

Mid-way through the second quarter the Dream made a huge move and did not back down for the rest of the quarter. They took the lead and continued to extand that lead taking a 52-41 advantage into the locker room at the half.

This was the Aces largest deficit at home this season. Las Vegas outscored the Dream in the third quarterk but did not make up much ground winning the third quarter 20-19. As the clock continued to count down in the fourth quarter, there would be no run for the Aces as they continued to trail Atlanta by double digits.

The Aces would get as close as six points but they had dug a deep hole going into the fourth quarter and the Dream would not let them back in the game. The final was 97-82 as the Dream went on a 9-0 run in the closing minutes to cinch the win.

GAME RECAP

It was a slow start for the Las Vegas Aces to start their matchup with the Atlanta Dream at Michelob ULTRA Arena. At the five minute mark the Aces tied up the game at twelve and took their first lead of the game at 1:51 in the opening quarter.

They had a slim 25-24 lead going into the second quarter. The Dream who are currently in fifth place in the standings are not a team to be played with and the Aces needed to step up before this game went into the half. Las Vegas would be looking to extend that lead before half time.

This game could not have been closer through the first five minutes of the second quarter but it took a turn in favor of the Dream for the remainder of the quarter. Atlanta pushed their lead out and continued to extend it leading at the half 62-41.

At 5:06 in the second Head Coach Becky Hammon got intensely heated over a perceived non-call on an A’Ja Wilson play. She didn’t let it rest but instead unleashed a furious verbal outburst at the referees. She was physically restrained by A’Ja Wilson before being officially ejected.

When the ejection took place it was a one-point game. The team would have to play the second half without her on the court. The best way to get the record straight would be for Las Vegas to go ehad and win this game but they sure had their work cut out for them trailing by double digits.

Las Vegas faced a tough task in the second half and it would not be at all easy. Since the ejection of Hammon it had not gone very well for the team. The starters for the Dream were playing a more balanced offense. Atlanta was making Las Vegas work much harder offensively than expected.

The Aces supporting scoring really had to step up in the third quarter. Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray along with the other perimeter players needed to capitalize when the Dream covered Wilson. The Dream had been attacking the paint all evening and getting transition opportunities.

The Aces fell behind in the third quarter by as much as 15 points but battled back going into the fourth quarter trailing 71-61. This season they have struggled in the fourth quarters of games but in recent outings this has not been the case.

The team had to get A’ja Wilson involved from the start of the quarter. She needed to attack the paint rather than settling for difficult jumpers from deep. Las Vegas had to force turnovers and scoring quick points instead of trying to chip away at the deficit. They could not afford another cold shooting stretch and Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Nalyssa Smith needed to step up. They would need a major run to start the quarter and get the momentum back.

The fourth quarter did not get underway very well for Las Vegas. They continued to trail by double digits 2 1/2 minutes into the quarter. At 7:30 the Aces cut the double digits into a nine point deficit but it did not last long as the Dream punched back taking a 12 point lead 82-70.

As the clock continued to wind down to the mid-way point of the fourth quarter the Dream were stubbornly hanging onto a 83-73 lead. With three minutes left in the game, the Aces desperately needed stops and it just wasn’t happening.

With just under two minutes left on the clock the Dream had a six point lead. Atlanta hung tough causing a turnover with a little over a minute left to play and this game was all but over. The final was 97-82 and the Dream had successfully won a road game in Las Vegas.

GAME NOTES:

It was a tough loss for the Aces. It all seemed to unravel after the ejection of Head Coach Becky Hammon. They were only trailing by one point when Hammon left the court in the second quarter. A’Ja Wilson had the game high a double double with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Jackie Young had 24 points, Chelsea Gray with 13 and Nalyssa Smith with ten. The rebound battle was almost even but Las Vegas had 17 turnovers which hurt them.

The Dream’s Angel Reese also had a double double with 21 points and ten rebounds. The high for the Dream was Rhyne Howard who finished with 23 points.

On Thursday night the Aces will try to re-group as they take on the Connecticut Sun remaining at ULTRA Michelob Arena. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.