Sparks make it two in a row
LOS ANGELES ❯❯ In the Sparks' second game against the same team in three days, they made it a collective mission to protect their homecourt advantage.
Nneka Ogwumike responded with 25 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks and Jordin Canada added 21 points and seven assists, as the Sparks made it a two-game winning streak with a convincing 8168 victory over the Indiana Fever on Thursday.
Ogwumike's strong allaround performance followed her season-high 30 points in a victory over Indiana on Tuesday, which broke the team's franchise-record eight-game losing streak.
“The interesting thing
THE SCORE
SPARKS 81, FEVER 68
Up next: Liberty at Sparks, Sunday, 1 p.m., ESPN
is we talked as a team and there's times where everything runs through Nneka and at times we may not have the flow because we try so hard to get her touches and understandably and rightfully so, one of the most efficient players every in this league,” Sparks head coach Curt Miller said.
“We talked about playing in actions with other people and then playing more with (Nneka) on the backend and so not as much attention early. I wondered how it was all going to play out (Thursday). We didn't always put her in first actions. We didn't always make her the emphasis point early in the shot clock and she was just as efficient and maybe even our offense flowed better. So that's why you listen to players at this level ... Nneka so efficient and really had another good scoring game.”
Miller said Ogwumike, who is currently averaging 20 points and nine rebounds in 23 games this season, is the quintessential definition of a most valuable player.
“You heard it from some of the children, out there chanting. `MVP!'” Miller said. “Most valuable players in this league tend to always be in top 3 teams in the league. We're not there. We probably can't get there by the end of the season, but I'll put her play and what her value is to our team up against anyone in what she means to us right now.”
The Sparks improved to 9-15, including 7-6 this season at Crypto.com Arena.
Indiana (6-18) was led by former Sparks point guard Erica Wheeler with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Aliyah Boston, the top pick in the 2023 draft, had 12 points and six rebounds. Kristy Wallace added 13 points off the bench.
Canada's buzzer-beating layup put the Sparks up 22-18 at the end of the first, which energized the young children comprising most of the crowd.
Sparks backup point guard Jasmine Thomas added five inspired points early in the second quarter, including a three-point play, which put her team up 35-29 with 6:02 left in the first half. Thomas finished with eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.