NEW YORK -- The road has gotten a lot tougher for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Cameron Brink was diagnosed with a torn ACL on Wednesday. Brink will likely miss the rest of her rookie season and will also very likely miss the Olympics as she was chosen to be part of the 3x3 Women’s national team. A speedy recovery to Brink.
The rest of the team will miss her defensive presence as well as some of her scoring. Brink averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per in the 15 games she played.
Who will take her place in the line-up? The 6’7” Li Yueru took her minutes when she left the game on Tuesday. She’s not the defensive ace Brink is but she is good around the basket and can surprise people with her agility. Li has a nice midrange J, too.
So with Brink out, it’ll be a significant change for the Sparks. They will rally around their fallen teammate and hope to finish the road trip strong.
Speaking of the road trip, their next stop is in New York City. They will play the Liberty (12-3) twice while there. Their first game happens on Thursday night.
The starting line-up from Connecticut was potent. New York might arguably surpass that. Last season’s MVP Breanna Stewart leads the charge. 2021’s MVP Jonquel Jones has the size and versatility to keep any defender on their toes. Sabrina Ionescu is a dangerous perimeter shooter and that was on display in last season’s three-point shootout.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a physical player that gives opposing wings fits. Courtney Vandersloot normally rounds out the starting line-up but she has been out for personal reasons. Defensive stalwart Kayla Thornton has taken her place and the Liberty didn’t miss a beat.
The Liberty had won eight straight games before going down to the Mercury in Phoenix. So they will be mad about that loss and take it out on the Sparks.
One thing to notice about that particular game? Those teams set out to make the most combined three-pointers in a WNBA game with 33. The Liberty made 18.
New York puts up the most three-pointers in the league and is third in percentage. That’s a huge part of why the Liberty are first in offensive rating.
In the meantime, it sounds like a broken record but the Sparks have to take care of the ball. Teams have also started to double or even triple Dearica Hamby and as a result, she’s only averaged 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in her last two games.
Aari McDonald continues to play well as she moved into the starting line-up last Tuesday. She’s averaged 14.6 points and 4.8 assists in her last five games. Rickea Jackson, who has scored in double digits in her last three contests, will be asked to step it up even more.
Sparks head coach Curt Miller likes to speak about “unintended consequences” when it comes to player injuries.
“We’re praying. We’re hoping for the best for Cam (Brink),” Miller said after their game against the Sun on Tuesday. “But unintended consequences of injuries are gonna open the door for someone like Li (Yueru) for even more minutes if that happens to be necessary or the case."
As mentioned, the Sparks will play in New York twice through the weekend. They will do battle again on Saturday night after their first clash on Thursday.
The Sporting Tribune's Fredo Cervantes contributed to this report.
