Sparks eye playoffs, adjust strategy after Cambage departure

LOS ANGELES » The Sparks are at a crossroads.

They can either rally and win games without center Liz Cambage, who received a contract buyout Tuesday, or they can falter down the stretch and miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

At 12-15, the Sparks are sixth in the WNBA standings with less than three weeks in the regular season remaining. Their next opponent, the Phoenix Mercury, is ninth in the standings but 8-5 at home, one of the six best home teams this season.

The top eight teams will make the playoffs. Sparks interim head coach Fred Williams said earning a postseason berth continues to be the team's top goal.

The Sparks will play at Phoenix (12-16) today. The Mercury have been led by All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, who is averaging 20 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, drawing consideration to be a firstteam All-WNBA selection. Longtime star guard Diana Taurasi, out of Don Lugo High in Chino, is averaging 17 points per game.

Without the towering presence of a 6-foot-9 center in the middle, the Sparks must adjust against a Phoenix squad that has won six of its past 10 games. Cambage was the Sparks' secondleading scorer (13-point average) and second-leading rebounder (6.4 per game) and led the team in blocked shots (1.6 per game).

“You probably won't see a lot of points in the paint like with Liz in there,” Williams said. “I think you'll see more open floor with guards driving.”

Sparks forward/center Chiney Ogwumike, who is averaging 11.7 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes per game over her past four games, will be leaned on to record more doubledoubles. Ogwumike is expected to assume Cambage's place in the starting lineup, playing alongside her older sister, All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike, who is averaging a team-high 18.7 points and 6.8 rebounds.

“Chiney does a great job of getting points in the paint, but our whole scheme is pretty much staying the same,” Williams said. “You have to stick with what you have and just tweak it some and that's what we aim to do.”

Sparks rookie center Olivia Nelson-Ododa will be the Sparks' primary frontcourt player off the bench. The 6-5 center is averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game but could be called upon to play between 2025 minutes a game for the rest of the season.

The Sparks are a halfgame ahead of the Mercury in the standings, so a win would improve their playoff chances.

A Sparks loss could have them teetering toward chaos. It is possible they could begin the day as the sixth seed and end the day as the ninth seed, outside the playoffs, with eight games to go until the season ends Aug. 14.

Today: Sparks at Mercury, 7 p.m., CBSSN