TORRANCE — The Sparks are trying to avoid a franchise-record nine-game losing streak. To prevent that, the Sparks must beat the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“We don’t want to lose any games, but obviously trying to work on process and standards,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “Take care of the little things that help take care of the wins and losses.”
Sparks All-Star forward Dearica Hamby always has a bit of extra motivation against the Aces, the team that traded her to the Sparks before last season when she was pregnant with her now 1-year-old son Legend.
“Yes and no. It’s not the same type of motivation but another game to get better and prove myself,” Hamby said after Thursday’s practice at the team’s training facility at El Camino College.
Hamby, a 2022 WNBA champion with the Aces, earned her third All-Star selection in four years Tuesday night before a disappointing 82-80 loss to the Washington Mystics.
“We had (the Mystics) the other night. We had a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter and Washington outplayed us that last nine minutes,” Miller continued.
Hamby, 30, has emerged as a go-to player and is having the best season of her career by all metrics. The 6-foot-3 post player is averaging a career-high 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in her 10th season in the WNBA.
“Once again, we’re trying to get the monkey off our back,” Hamby said. “We have some competitive games coming up. We beat Vegas before but also the first game we played them really well. It’s an opportunity to beat them.”
The Sparks (4-15) are 1-1 against the Aces this season, including a 96-92 win at Crypto.com Arena on June 9. Hamby’s 18 points and 10 rebounds anchored the Sparks’ win against her former team. Aces center A’ja Wilson had a game-high 31 points and Kelsey Plum poured in 24 points, but the Sparks used a strong second-half surge to seize momentum in what would be the last time the Sparks…
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