The Sparks are officially out of any wiggle room whatsoever as they return home for their penultimate game of the season in Los Angeles. Back-to-back losses in Atlanta paired with a Fever win on Friday means the Sparks are down to their last gasp with any loss by them or any Fever win ends their playoff hopes.
Fortunately, they welcome in a Wings side that is at the bottom of the standings.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Sparks vs. Dallas Wings
When: Sep. 7, 3:00 p.m. PT
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: NBA TV
The WNBA
did the Sparks no favors in the scheduling of this one. After playing in Atlanta on Friday night, the Sparks will play across the country roughly 36 hours later in an afternoon game.
That it comes against a Dallas side that is literally limping to the finish line is a bit of a reprieve. The Wings have had lengthy injury reports throughout the second half of the season and will enter this game shorthanded.
But the Sparks also look like a team nearing empty themselves. The second half on Friday against the Dream, and specifically the fourth quarter, looked like a team with little left in the tank. While the trio of Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum and Rickea Jackson all showed up, basically no one else did.
The argument would be that role players typically perform better at home and, given the opponent and the situation, the team as a whole might collectively rise up to the challenge.
Last time these two teams met, Paige Bueckers had her Rookie of the Year moment, scoring 44 points on 17-21 shooting in one of the best performances of the season. Still, that game was won by the Sparks on a Plum game-winner at the buzzer. But, naturally, Bueckers will be atop the scouting report heading into this one. She hasn’t been great for most of the stretch since that game, but she did score 27 points against Golden State on Thursday.
Dallas may come into this one a bit tired, too. Sunday’s game will be the fourth and final on their road trip, which started on Aug. 29 in Atlanta. Since July 7, they have just three victories and are on a nine-game losing streak. After being 6-13 following back-to-back wins to open July, Dallas has gone 3-20.
Simply put, there’s no reason for the Sparks not to come out aggressive in this one. But even if they do, a win by the Fever against the Mystics, who have lost eight in a row, will be enough to eliminate them.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
