WNBA FINALS: LAS VEGAS VS. PHOENIX

October 3, 2025

Becky Hammon

Las Vegas Aces

Game 1: Postgame

Aces 89, Mercury 86

Q. Becky, that zone really seemed to change the game for you on the defensive end. What were you seeing that made you want to try that out?

BECKY HAMMON: Seeing them score too much against our man, for one. So we just wanted to mix it up. I thought them getting the ball in the paint, whether it was off the pass or penetration was hurting it. It was putting us very vulnerable on the backside with those threes.

Just tried something different to where maybe we didn't give up the middle so easily. We were able to fan out a little bit better and find those shooters.

Q. Obviously the bench played a huge role. You already commented how there's been more of a bench this season. How has that made your job easier?

BECKY HAMMON: We've got options. I mean, Jewell, you know what Jewell has been. She's been in this league a long time. But Dana is a little scorer. I mean, she is a problem. You saw it in the previous series, Indiana switched their whole defense whenever she came into the game. They switched to their zone to try to keep her out of that paint.

But I thought we responded well in the second half. Even some of the shots they hit, they hit some tough ones, and you've just got to weather those storms.

But there's definitely things that we know we can do better.

Q. To piggyback off that, you've obviously seen what Jewell and Dana can do. It's one of those things where they become hot within that game. Is there something you can do to sort of embrace that and carry it into the next game, or is it something that you just hope that they do?

BECKY HAMMON: I mean, those are two really big-time players. So the carryover, I mean, we have something I took from the Spurs, it's called the Spurs 100, and Dana scored higher than I've ever seen anybody score in a very tough shooting drill.

Jewell led the league a couple years in scoring. We know what they're capable of. I had told both Jackie and Chels to get those two going early, try to get them as many looks -- Jewell came out in the first half, gave us a really good punch and Dana took fire in the second half.

But we have weapons. We want to use them all because we're harder to guard that way. I always tell them, it was just a really great time for our bench to come up and have a big game because I think you saw a little bit of fatigue maybe from Jackie and A'ja, who kind of carried us through that last Game 5.

The rest is really important at this point for both of them, and that's what makes us a difficult team is because we do have that potential for somebody else to come in and get 20, not just A and Jack and Chels but multiple options, and they were timely today. Our bench was huge.

Q. Sticking with Dana, not only did she get hot offensively but four steals --

BECKY HAMMON: And two rebounds.

Q. That too. Just that part of her game also, besides the offensive, what did you like about her on the other end of the floor also?

BECKY HAMMON: Well, we had a little talk at halftime about two -- the AT pick-and-roll was hurting us in the first half. So we looked at some clips at halftime, made the appropriate adjustments and started doing it better.

Kah had 19 at half; ended with 21. AT had 10 at half, ended with 15. So really attention to detail on those two players that were really hurting us.

Satou got off a little bit in the second half but at the end of the day they're professional scorers. You're not going to be able to stop them. The score is not going to be 12-12.

You try to take away the easy ones, make the little adjustments that you can do in real time, and then you go play. But it also allowed us to protect Dana a little bit, the zone, so they couldn't put her in all the actions. We knew they were going to. We had talked about it. Dana knew about it.

But yeah, it was obviously a lot better. I still feel like we can do some of our base stuff a little bit better, especially in the post.

Q. Keeping the conversation on Dana, she just is such a nuisance on the defensive end. She's like the Energizer Bunny out there. What do you see from her on a day to day about the way she practices and prepares that maybe reinforces what we see on the court in a game like this?

BECKY HAMMON: I mean, she's a pro. She's consistent. She stays ready. She does the work, whether she's going to get 25 minutes or 15 minutes. She just stays locked in.

She's the fastest person probably on the court, so I call her "Gears" because I like her to get to different gears.

But she is an impact player, right, like you feel her when she comes into the game, and you feel her on both ends. For somebody to be that size and you really feel her on both ends, especially in that second half, just digging it up, going for balls, and then obviously we know she can shoot. That baby can shoot. All my shooting drills she busts.

Q. Do you have any update on Chelsea's ankle? It's the same one she hurt in Game 5, right?

BECKY HAMMON: Yeah, I think she's going to be okay. She did twist it a little bit worse, I thought, but she's a warrior. If she's getting up off that court, she's going to come back.

Q. Kind of a tough game for NaLyssa today. Is it more you couldn't find time for her because of the smaller lineup?

BECKY HAMMON: It was a smaller lineup. I felt like we needed a scorer. Early on she got in some foul trouble and then it's just really hard to -- there's a lot of options. I only can play five at a time. So it was more about what I felt was going to be working for us going forward. Kind of just the flow.

But I always want Lys in there doing work and being tough on the glass. There is no doubt we need her.

Q. Do you remember Dana's score or high score at the Spurs 100 drill? And two, pregame you predicted that the bench would be the difference maker tonight. Do you have any predictions to make for Game 2?

BECKY HAMMON: I have a crystal ball at him. No, I have no predictions. I predict our defense will be better. That's my prediction.

I don't know her exact score, but I know it was over 90, which is bonkers. It was ridiculous. I never heard of a score like that.

You'll have to do your homework on what all that entails because it's kind of a secret society thing. Not really. Everybody steals everything in the NBA.