It was the Cameron Brink show as the rookie dominated the game. She ended with 21 points, going 3-5 from behind the arc, and three blocks. She also joined A’ja Wilson as the only WNBA players to score 12+ points with 2+ blocks in the first quarter of a game.
Dearica Hamby scored 19 points with 13 rebounds and four assists. Li Yueru had her strongest game of the season, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds.
Kia Nurse had a personal milestone of reaching 300 career assists, handing out three in total. LA’s bench was cooking Sunday night and they scored 27 points in total.
The Sparks started the game missing many shots, contrary to their usual fast offensive starts. Brink took over the offensive charge scoring five straight points, including a 3-pointer.
Neither team could distance themselves from the other. The Wings grabbed a lead of three but Hamby knocked down a layup as she was fouled and completed the 3-point play to tie the game. After LA took the lead by two, the Wings tied it to end the first quarter.
The Wings struck first to take the lead in the second quarter. They were knocking down their shots at a higher rate than the Sparks and pulled ahead by seven. The Sparks usually have better first halves, but they weren’t finding the special offensive magic and continued to miss easy shots.
Brink knocked down her third 3-pointer of the night to cut the deficit to five. A crafty layup by Zia Cooke helped LA pull within three. The Wings’ length was proving too tough for the Sparks to guard as they were able to pull ahead by five again.
With 55 seconds left, Yueru’s 3-point play made it a three-point game again, but the Wings closed the half strong to lead, 49-42.
Rickea Jackson entered the starting lineup in the second half as Layshia Clarendon would not return to the game because of a head injury. The Sparks had gotten the deficit to four, but the Wings responded and extended their lead to eight.
The Wings’ lead went to 10 and the Sparks were losing steam. They couldn’t string together enough stops and their offense had slowed. Although she had a slow game offensively, Hamby was all over the boards having grabbed 11.
Hamby’s 3-point play made it a seven-point game. Again, the Sparks kept missing easy shots and the Wings took advantage to go up 10. LA cut the deficit to seven at the end of the third.
The Sparks’ offense was much stronger to start the fourth quarter. They cut the deficit to five after a layup by Yueru, who was having her best game of the season. Hamby scored a layup to pull within three.
Aari McDonald knocked down a long-range shot to make it a one-point game. Yueru’s incredible play continued as she tied the game with a 3-point play. The Sparks took the lead by two, which was their first lead since the first quarter.
The momentum was beginning to shift in favor of LA. Even with the momentum in their favor, nervous time had come and the Wings took the lead by one. With 58 seconds left, the Sparks were down one and their offensive possessions were messy. Maddy Siegrist converted a layup to put the Wings up three.
Missed attempts to tie the game by Brink and Hamby, followed by a free throw by Arike Ogunbowale, sealed the win for the Wings, despite a three by Lexie Brown with a second left.
Key Takeaways:
The Sparks controlled the ball much better. Sloppy play was becoming a huge issue for LA, but Sunday proved they can play a clean game.
They have to find offense for both halves of a game. Sunday night was the tale of the missed shot as so many opportunities to take a commanding lead were ruined by missed shots.
