The Los Angeles Sparks get an opportunity to erase the memory of their worst offensive performance of the season when they host the Seattle Storm on Sunday night.
The Sparks (14-16) were held to a season-low point total in San Francisco on Saturday night, falling 72-59 to the Golden State Valkyries and dropping into ninth place in the WNBA standings.
The Sparks dug themselves a bit of a hole in the playoff race by shooting just 32.8 percent (20 of 61) from the field and 23.5 percent (8 of 34) from 3-point range against the Valkyries. Kelsey Plum, Rickea Jackson and Azura Stevens, who had combined to average 62.3 points per game during a three-game winning streak, were held to a total of 16 points against Golden State, shooting just 5-for-23 from the floor.
Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts wasted little time after the defeat turning her team’s attention to Sunday night’s matchup with Seattle.
“Bad shooting nights happen,” she said to reporters after the game. “The worst thing we can do is to dwell on it and second-guess ourselves. How mentally tough we are will determine what the next game looks like. We didn’t shoot well. Turn page, re-attack.”
The Sparks and Storm (16-15) split two games earlier this season, each winning on the opponent’s court. They will meet for a fourth and final time on Sept. 1 in Seattle.
A 108-106 double-overtime loss to the Sparks on Aug. 1 triggered a four-game losing streak for the Storm, who packed for their flight to Los Angeles. They were coming from Las Vegas, where Seattle suffered a 90-86 defeat on Friday night.
Acquired Tuesday from the Washington Mystics, Brittney Sykes made her Storm debut in Las Vegas, contributing 14 points, six assists and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench.
A nine-year veteran, Sykes was an All-WNBA defensive performer for the Sparks from 2020-22 before getting traded to the Mystics, for whom she made her first All-Star team this season.
Seattle coach Noelle Quinn sees Sykes’ defense as being the key to helping turn around a struggling Storm offense, which has failed to reach 90 points in 12 of its last 15 games.
“We’re top in the league in defense right now, but (Sykes) kind of contributes to that with what she can do on the ball, off the ball, guarding multiple positions,” Quinn told reporters this week. “At the end of the day, if we play solid defensively, we can get into transition.”
–Field Level Media
