Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby (5) guards Connecticut Sun guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) during Game One of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs finals at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.
Published Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 | 2:10 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 | 4:27 p.m.
The Las Vegas Aces trailed by six points with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter against the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.
Aces coach Becky Hammon called a timeout and went scrambling for answers. She didn't have to look far.
The Aces' "biggest, baddest beast" was on the bench, and Hammon quickly inserted Dearica Hamby into the game. The move paid off.
Hamby was the spark for the Aces to rally and win 67-64 over the Sun at Michelob Ultra Arena. The all-star forward finished with a plus-7 in 11 minutes, her first extended action after missing a month due to a right knee contusion.
"The emotion was I'm excited to be back and help," Hamby said. "I don't necessarily have expectations right now. I just want to do whatever it takes to win."
It was unclear if Hamby would find her way back to the lineup this postseason. She left after three minutes on Aug. 9 against the Atlanta Dream and did not return until Game 3 against Seattle in the semifinals on Sept. 4.
Hammon wouldn't commit to playing Hamby in an extended role this series. The Aces advanced to the finals by way of their small-ball lineup and timely shot making. Any advantage to giving Hamby more rest would be a bonus.
Hamby wasn't sure she'd get into the game and admitted she's still not 100%. Sporting a brace on her right knee, she had doubts that she'd even be available for this championship run.
"I feel good enough to play. It's just more so I've been trying to get the mental side of things back because I kind of checked out," Hamby said. "I didn't think I was coming back this season."
In the final 4:33 of the third quarter, Hamby was a plus-8. She had two points, two offensive rebounds and an assist on a Riquna Williams 3-pointer that cut the Connecticut lead to 52-51. The Aces closed the frame on an 11-3 run to take a 55-53 lead into the fourth.
"That's a tough situation," Hammon said. "She has not played a lot of minutes, and to just come in and be super solid gives us a lot of flexibility."
It was the kind of spark the Aces needed from someone outside of A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray.
Wilson recorded her fourth straight 20-point double-double with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. The 2022 league MVP got to the free-throw line 14 times and made 12 of them. The defensive player of the year made an impact at the other end with four blocks.
Gray, who entered the finals shooting 62.6% from the field, finished with 21 points on 9 of 17 shooting. Connecticut's defense was Gray's toughest challenge to date, however, as the point guard finished with six turnovers.
Jackie Young finished with 11 points as the only Aces players to score in double figures. Kelsey Plum had a 1-for-9 afternoon and didn't make her only shot until the fourth quarter; a 3-pointer with 4:30 to go to give the Aces a 62-58 lead.
On a day where the Aces shot below 40% from the floor and were just 5 of 24 from 3-point range, it highlighted the importance of Hamby's presence.
"She was huge for us," Gray said. "She was making all the right plays, when it was a rebound, getting deflections. It was all energy, heart, effort. That's hard to do."
The Aces started well in the first quarter making eight of their first 11 shots and jumping out to a 21-9 lead. The Sun, the second best scoring defense during the regular season, relied on that in the second quarter and outscored the Aces 21-9 in that stanza to take a 38-34 halftime lead.
Hammon got to the locker room and, simply put, aired her displeasure to her club.
"I was lit," she said with a laugh. "But they had beat us in every hustle category, and that can't happen. You can't lose a championship or a game or a quarter on hustle. That can never be the case."
One of those categories is offensive rebounds, a struggle spot for the Aces dating back to the Seattle series. The Sun out-rebounded the Aces 38-33 with 13 of them coming from the offensive glass.
Part of that can be attributed to the size discrepancy between when going small, but Hammon said it's about the mentality.
"You don't have to be the biggest and baddest. Be smart. Play with your feet," Hammon said. "Rebounding is not about size. Size certainly helps but that's not the final story. [The Sun] are relentless on the glass. We feel if we can just keep it close, we'll be doing well, because that's what they do best."
At this time of year, it's not about how the Aces win. It's the fact they did. Despite shooting poorly, the lack of offense outside of their two stars and playing to Connecticut's game, the Aces won. The best-of-5 series continues with Game 2 here on Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN).
If Game 2 turns out to be more of the same, Hammon might feel more comfortable letting the beast loose.
"If I can play more, I'll continue to play more," Hamby said. "Whatever's needed each game, I'll do."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
