The Las Vegas Aces know a thing or two about comebacks. Last season, they flipped the script in dramatic fashion, falling to .500 with just a month left after a brutal 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx—only to storm back with 16 straight wins and claim their third WNBA title in four years. That kind of resilience is baked into this core. But as the 2025 season tips off, the defending champs are already digging themselves a hole, and this time, the culprit is clear: defense.

In their season opener, the Aces suffered a disappointing 99-66 loss to the Phoenix Mercury—a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals. By the end of the third quarter, Las Vegas had already surrendered 83 points, with the Mercury shooting a blistering 53 percent from the field before garbage time kicked in. Even reigning MVP A’ja Wilson couldn’t set the tone, grabbing just four rebounds and failing to establish the physical presence her team relies on.

“I don’t want to repeat what we did last year,” head coach Becky Hammon said after the loss. “That was not fun the first half of the season. That’s not how we want to come out. It’s not the standard. It was unacceptable last year. It’s not acceptable this year.”

Hammon’s frustration is understandable. The Aces spent roughly 90 minutes each day in training camp sharpening their defensive schemes. She even noted that the team looked focused in their final preseason practice. But that preparation hasn’t translated to game day. Through three contests—including preseason matchups—Las Vegas is giving up an average of 31 points in the first quarter alone, forcing them to play catch-up for the rest of the game.

The issues run deeper than conditioning. The Aces aren’t executing the fundamentals of their pick-and-roll coverage. Guards are supposed to fight over screens, and bigs need to step up and meet the ball handler at the point of contact. Instead, they’ve been slow to rotate, leaving shooters with too much space beyond the arc. NaLyssa Smith admitted the team probably wasn’t prepared for Mercury rookie Jovana Nogic to light it up in her WNBA debut—she went 4-of-5 from three-point range—but that’s no excuse for a championship-caliber squad.

For a team that’s built its identity on grit and defensive intensity, these early stumbles are a wake-up call. The crown isn’t getting any lighter—and the Aces know they need to start earning it, one stop at a time.