Just days after losing to the Fever at a sold-out Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks avenged their defeat on Tuesday with an 88-82 road victory.
Dearica Hamby’s strong play continued as she ended with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Aari McDonald had very productive minutes off the bench, particularly in the third quarter, scoring 21 points. In the first start of her career, Rickea Jackson scored 12 points.
Rae Burrell was able to get some playing time and scored eight points. Kia Nurse broke out of her shooting slump, lighting it up in the second half and ending the game with 22 points.
The Fever grabbed a quick four-point lead after a pair of free throws from Jackson to open the game. The Sparks started slow but knocked down their shots and looked energetic.
Cameron Brink and Lexie Brown both hit threes to help LA jump ahead by two. The Sparks struggled with rebounds, leading to the Fever having many opportunities to score. Luckily for LA, the Fever couldn’t make their shots and a 9-0 run helped LA maintain their lead.
Hamby’s instant offense was essential in helping them jump ahead by eight as the Fever kept missing. The Sparks’ turnovers were concerning, but they managed to pull ahead by nine to end the quarter.
Caitlin Clark was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and made two free throws to start the second quarter. She then hit a three-pointer, and Erica Wheeler scored with a floater, reducing the deficit to two.
Both teams struggled with turnovers. Clark’s layup brought the gap to three points, but Hamby hit a three-pointer to push LA’s lead back to six. Despite the Fever’s lackluster offense, they remained in the game.
Jackson struggled to find her shot but impacted the game in other ways, including making most of her free throws.
McDonald’s instant offense off the bench was a huge boost for LA. The Fever tried to gain momentum, but the Sparks held it together for a five-point lead at the half.
Temi Fagbenle and Clark went on a 4-0 run to start the second quarter, making it a one-point game. The Fever took a two-point lead after a 3-pointer by Aliyah Boston. The momentum completely shifted in their favor and they extended their lead to four after a Clark bucket.
Nurse who had been struggling, finally saw a 3-pointer go in to make it a three-point game. When the Fever pulled ahead by five, Nurse responded with another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two. The Fever maintained a lead, but LA was beginning to wake up and look more engaged.
The Sparks eventually found their footing from beyond the arc and put together an 11-0 run that had them up four by the end of the third.
Free throws for both teams opened up the final quarter. Another turnover for LA caused a fastbreak by Clark who missed the layup, but Boston cleaned it up for a three-point play. Burrell was having a great game off the bench, knocking down her second three of the game.
Clark hit another three-pointer, narrowing the gap to one. Nurse maintained her strong performance by sinking two more three-pointers, contributing to a 12-0 run for the Sparks, who capitalized on Clark’s time on the bench.
The Fever responded with a 6-0 run, reducing LA’s lead to eight. With 54 seconds remaining, the Sparks led by seven, but anxiety set in given Clark’s previous performance against them.
Hamby then made two crucial free throws, extending the lead to nine points. The Fever resorted to fouling, but with 24 seconds left, the Sparks maintained control and secured their second win of the season.
Key Takeaways:
The Sparks need to find a way to limit their turnovers. Too many times a game we see them look careless with the ball, which in turn gives the opposing team so many opportunities to make shots.
LA’s bench scoring was outstanding, due to McDonald heavily carrying the load.
Kia Nurse had been struggling, but she found her shot Tuesday night and looked unstoppable. Her consistency will be essential for LA to grab some much-needed wins.
