Healthy Sparks to face Mercury
L.A. will try to snap two-game skid tonight at Phoenix
LOS ANGELES ❯❯ After playing with just eight healthy players in a lopsided loss to the Las Vegas Aces over the weekend, the Sparks expect to be closer to full strength when they look to bounce back and end a two-game losing streak tonight in Phoenix.
The Sparks (1-2) will tangle with Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and the Mercury (1-2) tonight and then head straight to the airport for a quick turnaround home game against the Seattle Storm on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. A healthier set of bodies would be a plus as the team tries to navigate the challenges of a backto-back set.
The Sparks opened their season against the Mercury, spoiling Griner's return to the WNBA with a 94-71 win. All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike (team-high 17 points) and her younger sister Chiney (15 points, teamhigh seven rebounds) set the pace in that one as the Sparks countered Griner's 18 points and six rebounds and Taurasi's 15 points, by forcing 19 turnovers and gaining a slight advantage on the boards (34-32).
The Sparks also found success by sharing the ball that night. Five players scored in double figures with Lexie Brown (14), Zia Cooke (14) and Karlie Samuelson (13) joining the Ogwumikes, as the Sparks had 20 assists and just six turnovers.
After the opening night win, the Sparks were subsequently hit by a non-COVID illness, which coach Curt Miller described as flu-like symptoms.
Nneka Ogwumike missed the Sparks' second game — a home loss to the Aces — with the illness and others were game-time decisions. The Sparks led by 10 points at halftime that night before Las Vegas pulled away for a 94-85 win. Ogwumike returned for Saturday's rematch with the Aces in Las Vegas, but starters Chiney Ogwumike, Layshia Clarendon and Jordin Canada all missed that one due to the illness, and the short-handed Sparks found themselves trailing 31-13 at the end of the first quarter and 5928 at halftime in a 93-65 defeat.
Ogwumike had a team16 points and Samuelson added 13 points, but the team was overwhelmed by the reigning champions.
Game status report
The Sparks are expected to have a 10-person rotation against Phoenix, which will give Miller several options to spell his starters as they return to form after the sickness.
Katie Lou Samuelson is pregnant and expected to miss the entire season, with her older sister Karlie filling her roster spot on a hardship contract. All-Star point guard Jasmine Thomas remains out as she continues to recover from a season-ending ACL injury she suffered in May 2022. Center Azurá Stevens, the Sparks' prized free agent acquisition, is out with a back injury.