LOS ANGELES — After playing with just eight healthy players in a lopsided loss to the Las Vegas Aces over the weekend, the Sparks expect to be closer to full strength when they look to bounce back and end a two-game losing streak on Friday night in Phoenix.
The Sparks (1-2) will tangle with Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, and the Mercury (1-2) on Friday and then head straight to the airport for a quick turnaround home game against the Seattle Storm on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. A healthier set of bodies would be a plus as the team tries to navigate the challenges of a back-to-back set.
The Sparks opened their season against the Mercury, spoiling Griner’s return to the WNBA with a 94-71 win. All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike (team-high 17 points) and her younger sister Chiney (15 points, team-high seven rebounds) set the pace in that one as the Sparks countered Griner’s 18 points and six rebounds and Taurasi’s 15 points, by forcing 19 turnovers and gaining a slight advantage on the boards (34-32).
The Sparks also found success by sharing the ball that night. Five players scored in double figures with Lexie Brown (14), Zia Cooke (14) and Karlie Samuelson (13) joining the Ogwumikes, as the Sparks had 20 assists and just six turnovers.
After the opening night win, the Sparks were subsequently hit by a non-COVID illness, which Coach Curt Miller described as flu-like symptoms.
Nneka Ogwumike missed the Sparks’ second game – a home loss to the Aces – with the illness and others were game-time decisions. The Sparks led by 10 points at halftime that night before Las Vegas pulled away for a 94-85 win. Ogwumike returned for Saturday’s rematch with the Aces in Las Vegas, but starters Chiney Ogwumike, Layshia Clarendon and Jordin Canada all missed that one due to the illness, and the short-handed Sparks found themselves trailing 31-13 at the end of the first quarter and 59-28 at halftime in a 93-65 defeat.
Ogwumike had a team-16 points and…
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