Dream beat Sparks in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES -- It was one of those games again for the Sparks.

The Dream got off to a 9-0 start and led by as many as 27 points in the second half. The Sparks were able to slice the lead down but they never got the deficit down to single digits. The final tally was 80-62 in an offensively-challenged game for Los Angeles.

Sparks coach Curt Miller pointed out that the team never scored more than 20 points in a quarter as the Dream tightened up their defense. Miller said that it seemed like the Dream was daring them to shoot perimeter jumpers. It all paid off for Atlanta as Los Angeles only shot 3 for 21 (.143) from the arc.

It wasn't just the three-point shooting that wasn't working for the Sparks.

"We gave up 17 second chance points but it's more the offensive rebounding percentage that they had tonight on their misses," Miller said. "We got 38 misses. They were trending towards a night where they were going to miss 40-plus shots. But we couldn't get out in transition because we couldn't defensive rebound consistently enough. And those 17 points off offensive rebounds really is deflating when you get 'em a first-shot miss and you can't finish the play."

The Dream had 13 offensive boards compared to the Sparks' seven.

Rickea Jackson had 13 points and Miller noted about her getting more attention in this game.

"I have so much confidence in (Rickea) that she's going to find stretches in a game where she's going to bring good things at both sides of the ball," Miller said. "I love her growth defensively. She's still got a way to go and schemes to learn and how people try to attack her. But the compete level from May to now, you just have to pop in a film, it's crazy.

"She still scored 13 points and that's an off night. That's where I think you're going to see Rickea moving forward is Rickea is going to be a teen scorer on off nights and you're gonna see her in twenties consistently as we go on. But the one thing she's earned is more attention. And she got more attention tonight on some of the actions that we've been using. She got more attention from Atlanta. That's a credit to her that there's now scouting report attention to her."

Li Yueru led the Sparks with 14 points and talked about her battles with Tina Charles, who had a monster game with 23 points and 10 boards.

"I met (Tina Charles) in China before," Li said. "We know each other and she's a really good player. I try to learn more on how to defend her."

As for Jackson, the extra attention also extends to Coach Miller himself.

"If Coach Curt says that (I'm a star) then that means I am because he doesn't say that about just anybody," Jackson said when asked if she's a star player already. "But I do feel like a star. I feel like I'm a growing star. I feel like I'm never content and that's what makes me a star. I want to continue to get better. 

"When they tell me, I need you to be better at this, however you wanna fix this the next game, I feel like being a sponge and want to get better each and every game, each and every practice. I feel like that's gonna take me over the top."

Li and Jackson were the only two players in double figures for the Sparks. On the other side, the Dream (11-21) had four players in double digits. Rhyne Howard scored 19 points while Allisha Gray herself had an "off game" with 12 points, shooting 3 for 10 (.300). 

Still, the Sparks didn't have many counters against the Dream and it resulted in this runaway performance by the visiting team. Atlanta snapped their four-game losing streak and pull into a tie with the Chicago Sky for the 8th and final playoff spot.

The Sparks (7-25) will go back to the drawing board and go on a little midwestern trip. They will face the Indiana Fever on Wednesday where Caitlin Clark and company await.