Aces' Jewell Loyd off injury report for Game 2 after scary leg scare
Jewell Loyd is not on the injury report for Game 2 of the WNBA playoff semifinal against the Golden State Valkyries, according to sports.yahoo.com. Barring a setback, it appears the Aces guard will play Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the Chase Center in San Francisco as Las Vegas hopes to even the series.
The Aces trail the best-of-five series 1-0 after a 71-60 loss on Sunday, Oct. 4. Loyd exited Game 1 with a left leg injury and did not return, sparking immediate concern given the team's recent depth issues.
What remains unconfirmed is whether Loyd will be at full effectiveness. The source only confirms she is off the injury report and expected to play, not that she is at 100%.
THE GAME 1 SCARE
The specifics of Loyd's injury remain unclear. The source does not detail the exact nature or severity of the left leg issue that forced her out of Game 1.
What is known: Loyd appeared to get hurt early in the second half. She left the game just over two minutes into the third quarter and never returned.
She finished with 17 minutes of playing time, no points, two rebounds and an assist. The stat line reads as a quiet night, but her absence was loud.
The Aces were sorely missing Loyd's production without her on the floor. Las Vegas fell 71-60 to the Valkyries on Sunday, Oct. 4, dropping Game 1 of the best-of-five series at the Chase Center.
Coach Hammon made clear what Loyd brings beyond the box score. "I thought she was great. You know her ability to spread the floor. She's very solid defensively," Hammon said. "The amount of screen assists that she gets never really shows up on a stat sheet."
Hammon praised Loyd's screening work from the Indiana series specifically, calling her "a screen-setting machine." That kind of contribution does not appear in the scoring column, but it was missing when Loyd left the floor.
ACES' INJURY WOES
Loyd's availability is welcome news, but she returns to a roster that has been banged up all postseason. Las Vegas has dealt with multiple injuries during the 2026 playoffs, and the wear shows.
The Aces barely escaped the first round, squeaking past the Indiana Fever. That grind came at a cost, and they entered the second round against the Valkyries with less than 100% health.
NaLyssa Smith is out entirely with a season-ending injury. The source does not specify the exact nature of Smith's injury, and the full extent of the issues for Stephanie Talbot and Dana Evans beyond what is listed has not been confirmed.
Talbot is not on the Game 2 injury report after missing Game 1 against Golden State and Game 3 of the Fever series with a left leg injury. Evans, however, is listed as "doubtful" for Game 2 with a right knee injury.
That leaves the Aces thin at key spots even with Loyd cleared to play. The exact severity of Evans' knee issue and the lingering effects of Talbot's leg problem remain unclear beyond their listed statuses.
COACH HAMMON'S REACTION
Hammon did not mince words about the state of her roster. "We're a little bit depleted right now. We just have to be next woman up," the Las Vegas head coach said.
She also acknowledged the challenge the Valkyries present. Hammon noted that Golden State coach Natalie Nakasie shuffles players in and out, and that the Valkyries "kind of have a different kind of firepower that they were able to put together."
Hammon added: "For us, you know, we just at some point I wish we would get healthy, but you know, it is what it is."
On Loyd specifically, Hammon was emphatic in her praise despite the guard's scoreless 17 minutes in Game 1. "I thought she was great. You know her ability to spread the floor. She's very solid defensively," Hammon said.
The coach pointed to the work that does not show up in the box score. "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.
Hammon framed Loyd's value through her screening in the first-round series against Indiana. "How many screens she set for everybody else to eat? She was a screen-setting machine in that Indiana series, and so you know she does a lot of little things that help us win," she said.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Game 2 tips off Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the Chase Center in San Francisco, with the Aces looking to even the best-of-five series after the Valkyries took Game 1 on Sunday, 71-60.
Loyd is expected to play, barring a setback, after being left off the injury report. What is not confirmed is whether she will be at full strength or how effective she can be — the report clears her to suit up, nothing more.
The Aces get one reinforcement back. Stephanie Talbot is not listed on the Game 2 injury report after missing Game 1 against Golden State and Game 3 of the Fever series with a left leg injury. Dana Evans, however, is listed as doubtful with a right knee injury.
That leaves Las Vegas thin again. The Aces are already without NaLyssa Smith, who suffered a season-ending injury, and have managed multiple injuries throughout the 2026 postseason.
Depth is the open question. The Aces squeaked past Indiana in the first round and entered this series at less than full health. Hammon has been candid about the squeeze, saying the team is "a little bit depleted right now" and pointing to the Valkyries' "different kind of firepower."
For Game 2, the math is simple: Loyd's name is on the active list, but her impact is the unknown. The Aces need her screening and defensive work to translate into production against a Golden State team that already holds home-court advantage in the series.
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