In a similar formula to their loss to the Dream, the Sparks saw a fourth-quarter run from the Lynx lead to a second straight loss on Wednesday afternoon, 96-87.
The Sparks led at times in the second half and fourth quarter, but the Lynx, who even closed the game without Olivia Miles after an injury to the standout rookie, had more answers down the stretch.
Notably, Nneka Ogwumike tied Lisa Leslie as the franchise’s top scorer all-time at 6,263 points.
She was the first to score for the Sparks to start
the game, converting on a midrange jumper. She led the way with six early points as LA’s lead grew to nine. Rae Burrell had four points, and Ariel Atkins had three.
Minnesota only had four points as a team. Out of the break, Courtney Williams converted on a midrange jumper to stop some of the bleeding.
Cameron Brink made her return from injury and scored on a layup. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by six.
Natasha Howard converted on a layup to start the second period for the Lynx. Dearica Hamby was fouled on the other end and converted on both free throws.
Minnesota was on a 9-2 scoring run to take a one-opint lead at the eight-minute mark. Los Angeles already had eight turnovers.
Olivia Miles had a slow offensive half with just four points. Burrell entered double figures with 11 points after a mini personal 5-0 scoring run.
Kayla McBride was in double figures with 12 for the Lynx. Minnesota ended the quarter shooting 56% from the field, while the Sparks shot 38%.
At halftime, LA was up by two.
The second half began with Williams converting on a triple for Minnesota. The teams then exchanged the lead until Los Angeles scored eight straight, forcing a timeout.
Before the break, Nneka was fouled and out of the break she completed the three-point play, extending LA’s lead to eight while inching closer to becoming the Sparks’ all-time leading scorer.
Nneka and Erica Wheeler both drained triples for Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the Sparks lost their lead as Minnesota went on an 8-0 run to go up by one. Williams added to the run with another midrange jumper.
Brink knocked down a much-needed 3-pointer for LA. Atkins and Nneka each drained a 3-pointer. Going into the fourth period, the Sparks were down by one.
The final frame started with Antonia Delaere draining a 3-pointer for the Lynx. Hamby converted on a layup on the other end. Every time Minnesota tried to build on a lead, LA kept coming back.
After the Lynx had gone up by eight, Burrell knocked down a 3-pointer, making it a five-point deficit with 6:03 left. Things started taking a turn for the worse as Minnesota went up by double figures.
With 2:58 left, the Lynx were up by 13.
Burrell scored six, giving the team a slight bit of life. The teams exchanged triples after a Minnesota timeout, but the Sparks couldn’t get stops and scores as the Lynx held on to win.
Key Player Stats
Nneka finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Burrell ended with 24 points and four rebounds. Brink pitched in with 10 points off the bench.
Hamby notched 10 points with eight rebounds. Atkins had eight points with six assists. Wheeler logged 10 points with six assists.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Chicago Sky on Friday at 4:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
