After a quick start to the game, the Sparks quickly fizzled out on Wednesday, ultimately falling to the Dream, 86-75.
With the loss, LA is now two wins behind the Fever in the No. 8 seed in the standings with just four games remaining.
Dearica Hamby ended with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Kelsey Plum scored 18 points to go with seven assists. Rickea Jackson pitched in with 15 points and three rebounds.
Azurá Stevens had five points, six rebounds and three blocks. Cameron Brink scored three points off
the bench while grabbing five rebounds and nabbing two steals.
It was a strong opening for the Sparks, who went on a 10-0 scoring run to kick the game off. Naz Hillmon eventually stopped the bleeding for Atlanta with a layup.
Jordin Canada then drained a 3-pointer to make it five straight points for the Dream. Plum was off to her own strong start with seven points, including a 3-pointer that stopped that mini Atlanta run.
Stevens, Plum, and Hamby were the only Sparks to score until Jackson converted on a layup with 4:22 left in the quarter.
After a Julie Allemand 3-pointer, all five starters had scored in the quarter. Atlanta grabbed all the momentum back, though, by scoring 12 in a row, a run snapped by Cameron Brink’s much-needed 3-pointer.
At the end of the first, Los Angeles was down two.
The second quarter started with Atlanta extending their lead to eight. LA was now at six turnovers and eventually dug itself into a double-digit hole. Atlanta’s defense, which forced four steals, disrupted the Sparks’ ability to keep the ball in their hands.
Out of a timeout, LA had its seventh turnover. Hamby converted on a layup to stop some bleeding, but Hillmon responded with a layup on the other end.
The Sparks began to awaken offensively, going on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to eight. Nia Coffey answered with a 3-pointer to stop their momentum. Rhyne Howard was now up to 12 points for Atlanta after knocking down her third 3-pointer of the half.
Plum and Hamby were in double figures for the Sparks. At halftime, though, the purple and gold were down by 12.
Hamby opened the scoring up for Los Angeles in the third with six straight points. She was helping cut the deficit, but Atlanta continued to have answers. Howard scored four points, and Brionna Jones notched a quick five points.
Jackson began to heat up for the Sparks, draining her first 3-pointer of the game. She also converted on a layup. At the 3:17 mark, LA was down by 11.
Hamby and Plum scored a combined four points to cut the deficit to single digits, but LA allowed Te-Hina PaoPao to score on a layup late in the quarter to make it an 11-point game going into the fourth.
The final frame got off to a strong start for both teams. Jones converted on a layup for the Dream. Los Angeles’ Sania Feagin got her first points of the game on a layup. Hillmon responded by draining her second triple of the night.
With 7:02 left in the game, Los Angeles still had to fight through a double-digit deficit to keep their hopes of coming out with a win alive. They were having an abysmal night from behind the arc, shooting 26% to Atlanta’s 40%.
Jackson knocked down a much-needed 3-pointer for LA, but Maya Caldwell responded with a 3-pointer of her own. She was up to 14 points for the Dream.
With 2:20 left, Los Angeles waved the white flag and emptied the bench.
Key Takeaways:
With this loss, the need to stack up wins is now in CRUCIAL territory.
A rough night from behind the arc made it harder for LA to mount one of their usual scrappy comebacks.
Turnovers are an Achilles heel for this team. Mishandling the ball results in the opposing team having too many opportunities to score points.
The Sparks’ next game will be Friday against the Atlanta Dream at 4:30 PM PT.You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
