Aces have on-court problems to fix before they meet Sparks

The Las Vegas Aces will try to shake off a deflating start to the 2026 season when they visit a Los Angeles Sparks team tipping off its campaign on Sunday.

Reigning WNBA champion Aces (0-1) gave up huge runs in the second and third quarters of their regular-season opener on Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury, resulting in a 99-66 blowout loss.

"I don't think we're in good enough shape to play at the level that we need to," Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said following the rout. "The defense, it looks like we haven't worked on it. We've been doing it an hour-and-a-half every day in practice.

"The little details that we talk about that are separation factors, we're not doing them," she added. "And until we decide we want to do them, we'll continue to get our butt kicked like this."

The Aces' defensive woes to begin the campaign included surrendering 11-of-24 3-point shooting. Las Vegas was among the WNBA's best 3-point defenses in 2025, holding opponents to 31.6% on the year.

Along with the struggles on defense Saturday, Las Vegas lacked consistent offense around four-time league Most Valuable Player A'ja Wilson. Wilson finished with 19 points while Jackie Young went for 12

Las Vegas looks to bounce back against Los Angeles, which had the WNBA's most porous defense a season ago. The Sparks allowed 88.2 points per game in 2025 and a league-most 10.1 3-pointers a contest.

The Los Angeles side welcoming the Aces for the Sunday matchup looks a bit different, however, having added veteran forward and 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike.

Kelsey Plum -- a key contributor to Las Vegas championships in 2022 and 2023 before signing with the Sparks last year -- said to the Los Angeles Times that Ogwumike's presence is a game-changer for the squad.

"I don't think that last year I realized how big of a decision I made," Plum told the Times. "When Nneka signed this year, I was like, ‘OK, I'm not crazy. They're seeing the vision I am seeing.'"

Ogwumike averaged 18.3 points and seven rebounds per game last season for the Seattle Storm. She joins a frontcourt with another former Aces player, Dearica Hamby, who averaged 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds an outing in 2025.

The Los Angeles frontcourt also features Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2024 and a promising defensive presence whose floor time has been limited due to injuries. Brink has appeared in 34 games combined over her first two WNBA seasons, averaging 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds.

--Field Level Media