The Los Angeles Sparks’ trouble closing games has been the story of their season. Wednesday’s 86-82 loss to the Phoenix Mercury was just the latest example of that. Fans at Crypto.com Arena watched their team let another one slip, and head coach Lynne Roberts didn’t hide her frustration with how it happened.
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“Well, I think just our execution needs to be better. Attention to detail,” Roberts said in her postgame press conference. “Our communication defensively, they weren’t doing anything that we didn’t show on film and go over. We just got to be locked in. I felt like we were a little bit reactive defensively down the stretch rather than proactive. It’s just execution. Coming out of the timeout, executing what we just talked about.”
That execution problem showed up right when it mattered most. The Sparks actually cut Phoenix’s lead to two points with 47 seconds left after a second-chance layup from Rae Burrell, and the Mercury turned the ball over on the very next possession. Los Angeles couldn’t cash in, missing the fast-break chance that could have tied or flipped the game.
Phoenix took advantage everywhere else. The Mercury outscored the Sparks 54-36 in the paint and turned six more Los Angeles turnovers into points down the stretch. Alyssa Thomas ran the show throughout, finishing with 19 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds for her 20th career regular-season triple-double, with assists on seven of Phoenix’s final eight baskets. Kahleah Copper added a game-high 21 points.
That loss, the Sparks’ fifth straight, drops them to 10-16 on the season. Falling to a team with a worse record only adds pressure to their playoff push. Most of that pressure traces back to one name missing from the lineup.
Kelsey Plum has been this team’s offensive anchor all season, averaging 23.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists a game on 52.7% shooting. These are numbers that had her trailing only A’ja Wilson in scoring league-wide before a lower-left leg injury sidelined her in late June. Since then, the Sparks are just 3-9. Her official timeline now points to a July 28 return, giving Los Angeles a real date to build toward instead of an open-ended wait.
Nneka Ogwumike and others have tried to pick up the offensive slack in her absence, but scoring hasn’t been the only issue. The defense has truly struggled to pick up all season, part of the reason why the Sparks find themselves in the mud at the moment.
The Sparks Have Struggled Defensively All Season
Cameron Brink is normally the anchor of this defense, protecting the rim and holding down the paint. She’s missed significant time to injury this season too, leaving Los Angeles thin at exactly the position it can least afford to be.
The numbers reflect it. The Sparks currently carry the second-worst defensive rating in the league at 112.3, and their block numbers are just as concerning, averaging 3.2 a game, third-worst in the WNBA. Between Brink’s absence and Plum’s, Los Angeles has been stretched thin on both ends at the same time.
Dearica Hamby is looking at the coming break as a chance to reset before the stretch run.
“We just talked about taking a complete mental break from basketball. Enjoy your family, your friends, the activities at All-Star,” Hamby said. “We showed last year we were able to really respond after the All-Star break and having a completely healthy team. So, looking forward to getting KP back in the second half.”
That timeline lines up well with Plum’s own return estimate. The Sparks are back in action against the New York Liberty on July 28, the same day Plum is projected to be re-evaluated, giving Los Angeles its clearest shot yet at pairing a healthier roster with the fresh start the break is supposed to provide.