Revenge In Vegas: Phoenix Mercury Crash Aces’ Opening Night

Melanie VanDerveer

To kickoff the season, the Aces faced the Mercury, who they went 3-1 against in 2025, winning the last three matchups before sweeping the Mercury 4-0 in the WNBA Finals in October. Two Aces players were listed as out for this game – Dana Evans for left leg and Janiah Barker for concussion protocol.

The Mercury came back with a vengeance after last season’s Finals sweep by the Aces, opening the 2026 season with a 99–66 blowout. The Aces were led by A’ja Wilson with 19 points, and Alyssa Thomas led Phoenix with 20 points.

In the postgame press conference, head coach Becky Hammon said the last couple of weeks the team has been “working our conditioning” and that she doesn’t think they are “in good enough shape to play at the level that we need to.” She further explained that “the defense, it looks like we haven’t worked on it.”

When NaLyssa Smith was asked about the conversation in the locker room after the tough loss, she shared they spoke about sticking together.

“This is one game of 40-something games, so just not panicking early and just sticking together,” she said. “We know have a lot of games ahead of us.”

Wilson, who also joined the postgame conference, talked a little about why she’s not a fan of emotional ceremonies before a game.

“I hate these ceremonies like this. Obviously, you want to enjoy it but at the same time, there’s a whole business side of it you have to take care of and it’s hard to compartmentalize that at times,” Wilson said. “I wish we could do things afterwards or before but obviously we would love to celebrate with the fans, but I’m not a fan of it because it’s very hard to separate emotions on both sides.”

An Exclusive Screening Of ‘Never Fold’ Happened Earlier In The Week

Melanie VanDerveer

Just before the season began, the Aces held an exclusive screening of their fourth documentary, “Never Fold: The 2025 Las Vegas Aces.” The film offered a deeper perspective on last season’s struggles and triumphs than fans had seen before — and it left hardly a dry eye in the house.

Many diehard fans came out for the screening held at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The entire Aces squad was also in attendance for the screening, as well as Head Coach Becky Hammon, President and GM Nikki Fargas, and Vice President of Creative Storytelling Katie Morgan.

After the screening, Hammon, Fargas, Morgan, and three players, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and Jewell Loyd were part of a panel that Aces host CJ Simpson hosted.

What Did Fans Think Of The Documentary?

Melanie VanDerveer

The crowd laughed, cried, screamed, and was fully engaged in the screening from start to finish.

Adam Hollimon a longtime fan of the Aces, shared his thoughts exclusively with The Blast, saying that this documentary was “far more than a recap of a championship season.”

“Attending games throughout the 2025 WNBA season, I thought I had already seen the journey unfold but this film took us back to day one and gave a deeper look into the moments many fans never saw,” he said. “From the early stages of Cheyenne Parker-Tyus’ pregnancy, to Megan Gustafson’s injury, to Kierstan Bell and Jackie Young both dealing with personal losses, the documentary constantly reminds viewers that this story is about much more than basketball.”

Hollimon also shared that he enjoyed the panel after the film and what stood out for him the most.

“One quote from Katie Morgan stood out to me – ‘Whether you are the 12th spot or the top player on the roster, everyone deserves a story.’ That message perfectly captures the spirit of this documentary,” he said. “I already appreciated this team throughout the season, but this film made me appreciate these women even more. I could watch it again and again.”

Hollimon’s friend, Christian Brown, also had a raving review about the film.

“This doc does such a great job of explaining the details and capturing the essence of the season. Anybody could tune in to this documentary and understand the team and their personalities from the first to the twelfth roster spot,” he shared with The Blast. “You could feel like you lived every moment and took the ride with the team.”

He added that Katie Morgan did an “amazing job setting up and putting together a story that was not only engaging from start to finish but also showed key stories throughout the season and day to day issues and hardships that teams go through when they’re building a winning team culture.”

Brown said the key takeaways for him includes the team’s vulnerability, how committed they are to the organization and each other, and the team’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

The documentary is now streaming on the Aces’ YouTube channel.

Up Next For The Aces…

Melanie VanDerveer

The 2025 champions are taking the show on the road to play the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena. The game will be broadcast nationally on ION and locally on Las Vegas on The Spot-Vegas 34.

They stay on the road for a few more games – Wednesday, May 13 and Friday, May 15 the Aces play the Connecticut Sun, then head to Atlanta to play the Dream on Sunday, May 17 before heading back to Vegas to face the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, May 23.

Check out the entire 2026 season schedule on the Aces’ website. And stay tuned to The Blast for all your Las Vegas Aces news!

The Phoenix Mercury Spoil Ring Ceremony Vibes, Take Down Las Vegas Aces In Home Opener first appeared on The Blast