On a day dedicated to celebrating Lisa Leslie’s statue unveiling, the Sparks made it a fully festive day, downing the Fire 105-84 for their 16th win of the season.
A second-quarter run gave the hosts a double-digit lead and the margin was north of 20 points for much of the final two frames.
Portland’s Emily Engstler got things going early for the Fire with a jumper. Emma Cannon, who was replacing the injured Dearica Hamby in the starting five, drained a triple for LA. Nneka Ogwumike then converted
on a three-point play, adding to Los Angeles’ lead.
Nneka and Cannon led the Sparks with a combined 10 points.
Neither team showed much offensive dominance. Carla Leite and Karlie Samuelson combined for 12 of Portland’s first 16 points. As soon as the Fire took the lead, Los Angeles responded through a Rae Burrell triple to put the Sparks back in front. With Cameron Brink out, LA’s bench picked up the slack with 12 points in the quarter.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by two.
Erica Wheeler knocked down a 3-pointer to start the second period. The team was shooting 42% from beyond the arc in the half. Frieda Buhner responded on the other end with a triple. After a pair of free throws, Cannon led the Sparks with seven points, while Nneka was close behind with six.
At the 5:58 mark, LA was up by seven.
Los Angeles went on a 12-0 scoring run until Nyadiew Puoch stopped it with a triple. Burrell scored 10 points in the quarter, pushing her total to 13 for the half.
Portland tried to push back, scoring six straight. The Sparks then ended the half on a 27-10 scoring run, capped by Cannon draining a 3-pointer as the clock wound down.
At halftime, the purple and gold were up by 19.
Nneka extended LA’s lead early in the third period with a layup. Megan DiLeo converted on two free throws for Portland’s first points of the quarter. Despite Leite starting the period with six points, Los Angeles still held a huge lead, thanks in part to a pair of triples from Wheeler.
The Fire were forced to call a timeout as the Sparks continued playing dominant basketball, extending their lead to 24. Out of the break, Atkins fouled Charisma Osborne, sending her to the charity stripe where she converted on both free throws.
Portland scored five straight points, slowly shaving some points off their deficit. LA ended the third up by 20.
The Sparks extended their lead to 24 early in the final frame. Nneka pitched in with five points. Atkins scored on a layup, pushing her point total to 14 for the night. Leite was still leading the Fire with 23 points.
In a change of pace for this season, the rest of the quarter happened with the Sparks seeing the game out.
Key Player Stats
Nneka finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Burrell scored 20 points with two rebounds and two assists. In her first start since 2023, Cannon ended with 10 points.
Atkins had a strong game with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists. Wheeler had nine points with two assists. Los Angeles’ bench scored 32 points.
The Sparks’ next game will be Tuesday against the Las Vegas Aces at 7:00 PM PT
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
