Without A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, the Las Vegas Aces fell 111-71 to the New York Liberty on Sunday, concluding a grueling five-game road trip. According to head coach Becky Hammon, the decision to rest her three players came in response to a demanding travel schedule that included arriving at their New York hotel at nearly 10 p.m. on Saturday following a game in Minnesota.
Hammon Cites Player Health and Brutal Travel Schedule
According to Associated Press reporting, Hammon prioritized the long-term well-being of her roster over the standings. “My players’ health is the most important,” Hammon said after the game, as reported by the AP. “You got to be healthy and fresh as much as possible, obviously, after going through a season. So, the health and safety of players come first. Where we end up (in the standings), we end up.”
Hammon pointed to a tight turnaround between games as a primary factor in her decision. After playing in Minnesota on Saturday, the team crossed nearly 1,200 miles to New York, dealing with a time change that left less than 24 hours between contests. “I mean, everybody has a brutal schedule at some point. I don’t even think they do this in the NBA, though, where it’s less than 24 hours,” Hammon noted, according to the AP.
An anonymous scheduling source told the AP that the NBA avoids scheduling teams across two time zones with less than 22 hours between consecutive games. Sunday’s matchup also featured an early 12:30 p.m. EDT tipoff on ABC to accommodate broadcast scheduling for the Little League Softball World Series championship, further shortening the recovery window for the Aces.
FIBA World Cup Commitments Loom Large
Beyond immediate fatigue, Hammon factored upcoming international duties into her rotation management. Wilson, Gray, and Young are scheduled to participate in the FIBA World Cup the following month. Because the WNBA will pause for the tournament, these players will miss out on a traditional multi-week rest period.
“I’m not going to put them in any kind of jeopardy to get hurt when we’ve been expending a lot of energy on travel and a lot of miles back and forth crisscrossing the country,” Hammon stated, as cited by the AP.”
Aces Wrap Five-Game Road Trip Before Homestand
The lopsided loss to the Liberty capped a taxing five-game excursion that began the previous Saturday in Chicago. During the trip, the Aces dropped their opener in Chicago, routed Atlanta, and secured a dramatic overtime victory in Indiana on Thursday thanks to buzzer-beating 3-pointers by Gray in regulation and the extra session.
Following Sunday’s defeat in New York, the Aces return home for five straight games in Las Vegas.
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