LOS ANGELES -- The Sparks have a chance to go to the All-Star/Olympic break with some momentum.
The last time the Sparks played? They came away with their second win on the road this season as they upended the Wings in Dallas last Saturday.
The team is back home for the yearly Kids Day game to finish off the first half of the season. Who are they playing on a Tuesday afternoon? It’s the Seattle Storm. And they’re bringing back a very familiar face with them.
After 12 years as the centerpiece of the Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike became a free agent and decided to make new roots in Seattle as a member of the Storm. Along with Skylar Diggins-Smith and homegrown stars Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor, Seattle has quite the fearsome foursome. They’re technically in fifth place at the moment but they have the same record as the Minnesota Lynx at 16-8.
The Sparks (6-17) have played the Storm before and that took place last month in Seattle. It’s become a recurring theme for the Sparks this season; play their opponents tough for three quarters and then fade away in the fourth. And that’s what happened in Seattle. The Storm scored 10 straight points late in the game to put the Sparks to bed, 95-79. Nneka kickstarted the run with a three-pointer and took it to her old team with 26 points.
It’s about composure once again for the Sparks. That and rebounds. The Storm notably outboarded the Sparks by 12 in the game. And It’s hard to stop an offense that includes Loyd, Ogwumike, Diggins-Smith and Magbegor. While the Sparks took pretty good care of the ball with 11 turnovers, the Storm only had nine.
"They hurt us on the glass, obviously," Coach Curt Miller said after their game against the Storm. "A big concern there as we weren't forcing turnovers, less than 10 turnovers tonight. In a game like that, you have to one-and-done them."
Miller has also been looking for closers on his team. Dearica Hamby, who will play in her third all-star game this Saturday, has carried the team on her back all season. Rickea Jackson has been coming on strong, though, as she topped 20 points twice in the last week. When Hamby gets in trouble at the end, will Jackson step up? Azura Stevens has also been a huge help since she returned last week.
Los Angeles will once again be shorthanded as Stephanie Talbot will once again be out due to her foot injury. Li Yueru, who scored a career-high 18 points in their game in Seattle, has been out because of her Olympic commitments while Lexie Brown’s status will be determined after the Olympic break. Cameron Brink is out for the season, as previously mentioned.
The Sparks have a chance to spoil Nneka’s “homecoming”, so to speak. More importantly, they have a chance to go into the extended break with two wins in a row.