The Golden State Valkyries elite rebounding in Game 1 handed the Las Vegas Aces an early loss in the semifinal series, but that was the least of Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon’s worries, as the matchup cost the Aces one of their primary bench weapons. The 71-60 loss was the Aces’ worst-scoring game this season, and as the bench wore down further after the game, Hammon will have to address the injury situation as Game 2 approaches fast, or risk an early exit.

During the post-game press conference, Hammon was asked how she would adjust the Aces’ roster depth following Jewell Loyd’s loss. The head coach took a good few seconds and chuckled at the unfortunate situation before giving a blunt assessment of the injuries. 

“We just have to go with what’s sitting on the bench next. Next woman up. We don’t have a lot of time to sulk about it. Nobody feels bad for us. It’s just the next woman up. We went to the zone a little late, just trying to recoup some legs, I think, with some people playing some high minutes. I thought that was one of our more atrocious games of the season.”

Jewell Loyd has been a primary rotational player off the bench for Hammon to rely on when their starters require minutes off. Loyd has played 42 games in the 2026 regular season, but has started on three. She played an average of 25.9 minutes per game, scoring a career-low of eight points on average. But the postseason saw her performance improve. Loyd played all three of the Aces’ games against the Indiana Fever, averaging 31.3 minutes, and scored 9.7 points per game, while adding 3.7 RPG and one APG. 

Even Becky Hammon was in praise of Loyd’s performance against the Fever after the Aces took the series with a decisive 94-83 win. 

“I thought she was great. Her ability to spread the floor. She’s very solid defensively. I think one thing that gets overlooked, and I wanted to give her her kudos in front of the team, but I’ll say it here too: the amount of screen assists that she gets never really shows up on a stat sheet,” Hammon said. 

But in the loss against the Valkyries, Jewell Loyd was unable to score at all and suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter. She left the court within a couple of minutes of the second half starting. Becky Hammon did not have any updates regarding Loyd’s situation in the post-game presser, and fans will be waiting with bated breath to find out if she will rejoin the active roster for Game 2. For now, she is listed as ‘Out’, having finished Game 1 with two rebounds and an assist.

Loyd’s injury came in a game where A’ja Wilson could score 24 points, but shot only 8-of-21 from the field. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young were held to 16 and 11 points, respectively, by the league’s best-rated defense. The Valkyries outscored the Aces in the first, third, and fourth quarters, while their rebounding blew the Aces out of the water. Golden State managed to grab 52 rebounds compared to the Aces 25, which Becky Hammon admitted was the major reason for their downfall. 

Losing Jewell Loyd at this critical stage in the playoffs is definitely not ideal for the Aces, whose roster depth is already suffering due to other missing players. While the Aces won the series against the Fever, it cost them two important players.

Stephanie Talbot, who started all but one game for the Aces this regular season, was ruled out of Game 1 against the Valkyries due to a leg injury she sustained in Game 2 against the Fever. Talbot was an important defensive presence and was the primary guard for Caitlin Clark. Through her last two outings, Talbot averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Dana Evans, a backup guard, has also been ruled out due to knee troubles, further thinning the backcourt. To add to this, the Aces have not had NaLyssa Smith on the roster since August. Smith suffered a non-contact injury to her left leg in the third quarter of the Aces August 23 game against the Toronto Tempo. The Aces later announced that she would not play the remainder of the 2026 season. 

Losing Smith was a blow for the Aces, as before her injury, she was averaging 11.7 PPG and  6.4 APG, playing the role of a high-efficiency finisher and rebounder. Now with Jewell Loyd and Stephanie Talbot sidelined as well, Becky Hammon will need to find ways to keep her big three – A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young – fresh during games. 

The Aces and the Valkyries will head to the Chase Center for Game 2 on October 7. The missing pieces on the Aces’ bench will definitely be a point of concern for Becky Hammon, as all the pressure now falls on Wilson, Gray, and Young.