Los Angeles, CA – With less than 48 hours from their first win of the season on the road, the Sparks returned to downtown LA at Crypto Arena, Sunday afternoon, to lose their season home opener, 89-75, as fans enjoyed a hot shooting performance in the first half for a solid first impression against one of the leagues most dominant teams and last season league finals’ runner-up, Minnesota Lynx.
Veteran forwards Azurá Stevens and Dearica Hamby led the Sparks in scoring with 21 and 20, respectively, though the remaining of the team struggled to shoot efficiently as they collectively continue to learn how to execute their new systems, endure physical injuries, and exemplify toughness.
Hamby prior to discussion about her toughness being a constant and her “leading by example” shared in the post press conference about coach Lynne Roberts’ unhappiness of the team’s execution.
“We could do better, we can improve and we will,” coach Roberts added. “When things didn’t go our way, we look visibly frustrated.”
The Lynx led most of the entire game behind potential league MVP and Unrivaled league founder, forward Napheesa Collier, 23 points, which 17 came in the first half.
The Sparks cut the lead to one by halftime after a couple of gritty defensive plays and made free throws, for a halftime score, 46-45.
“We missed a lot of good shots,” Roberts explained. “It’s not always how many points we score but how many good shots did we take?”
Starting guard Kelsey Plum facilitated the offense most of the game while Odyssey Sims and Rickea Jackson appeared searching for some type of rhythm.
“Sometimes, your offense is struggling, you gotta give the other team some credit,” Roberts said. “I thought they defensively dialed it up. It was super physical and that’s kind of what happened.”
Lynx opened the second half on an 8-0 run, quickly following a put back bucket from Jackson, giving the Sparks their first and only lead of the game before Lynx shifted back the game’s momentum.
While Lynx demonstrated their the experienced, cohesive team now with their chemistry and defensive help, LA showed glimpses of playing on that level in an attempt to stage a comeback.
However, the Sparks could not maintain or slow down Lynx well oiled offensive movement, accumulating 27 assists and only eight turnovers for the game.
Then simmering any chance of a Sparks comeback even more was a crucial collision between Jackson and Lynx forward Alanna Smith, leading Jackson to leave towards the locker room midway into the third quarter.
“She’s [Jackson] being evaluated right now, and we don’t know anything else beyond that,” Coach Roberts said.
The Sparks entered the contest with nine active players, including five guards and four undersized, versatile forwards. Late in the game, the Sparks got down to seven as Plum fouled out before finishing with 18 points and six assists. Hamby recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds alongside her 20 points.
Both teams managed possessions well and kept their turnovers low despite shooting woes from the field. The Lynx held the Sparks under 30 percent shooting, to score only 30 points in the second half.
The Sparks came within five points early in the fourth, 75-70, but The Lynx amped up their pressure on both ends, closing out the game on a 14-5 run to become 2-0 on the season.
“We’ve gotta be mentally tougher. Everybody’s good in this league,” Coach Roberts said. “The margin for error is so small. You cannot let what happened in the last possession affect the current one. And that’s where you get better as a group.”
Lynx as a group, found balanced offense to Collier’s inside dominance with Smith converting four three-pointers on her way to 18 points while starting guard Courtney Williams scored 13 points plus nine assists. Rising star, Jessica Shepard picked up a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds.
“We’ve got some growth to do, but I have no doubt we’ve got great leadership, great veterans… you’re looking at two of them here (acknowledging Stevens and Hamby during the post press conference),” coach Roberts said. “they’ll get everybody on the same page.”
The Sparks now 1-1 will have some time to recover and rework their rotations plus new systems as they prepare to travel to Phoenix for a matchup with a different Mercury team from last season after losing the face of the franchise for the last two decades, Diana Taurasi to retirement and veteran center Brittany Griner to the Atlanta Dream.
