Sparks lose steam in fourth, fall in season-opener to Dream

The Sparks started hot before a slow start to the fourth quarter proved costly as they fell to the Dream in their season opener.

The Sparks battled hard throughout their season-opener against the Dream on Wednesday, but Atlanta's quick start in the fourth quarter proved the difference as LA lost 92-81.

Dearica Hamby and Kia Nurse dominated the game, leading the offensive charge. Hamby ended the game with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Nurse scored 23 points.

Layshia Clarendon notched their first career triple-double with 11 points with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals.

Rookie Cameron Brink was in foul trouble, but in her limited play, she looked great, scoring 11 points with two rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Rookie Rickea Jackson took a little time to get comfortable, but she picked it up and looked great. She scored seven points with three rebounds.

Both teams started shaky, but the Sparks picked up the energy fast and jumped to a quick seven-point lead. Layshia led the offensive charge with five points. The Sparks applied a lot of pressure defensively, making the Dream fight for every shot.

The Dream cut the deficit to one and the offense was rolling for both teams. At the end of the first, it was all tied 26-26.

Lexie put LA up by two to start the second quarter. The Dream jumped to a three-point lead after a Cheyenne Parker-Tyus layup in which she was also fouled and nailed the free throw. The Spark’s offense slowed, contributing to the Dream taking a five-point lead.

The lead was extended to seven as veteran Tina Charles put on a scoring clinic for the Dream with a game-high 13 points. The Sparks kept the same energy from the first quarter but couldn’t find the offensive magic.

Layshia hit a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding, followed by Hamby knocking down one of her own. Brink dished a dime to Hamby for a layup then knocked down a three to get LA within one.

The energy shifted and the Sparks found the offensive magic from the first quarter. Rookie Rickea Jackson stole the ball and beat the shot clock with a layup to tie the game at halftime.

To start the second half, the Sparks took the lead by four. Both Hamby and Nurse were putting on dominant performances for LA. The Dream cut the deficit to three after a Sparks turnover. After a few consecutive misses from LA, the Dream retook the lead by two.

Nurse continued her offensive onslaught with another 3-pointer, but the Dream were on an 11-3 run with a three-point lead. Rickea made a layup and was fouled to complete the three-point play, then tied the game with a reverse layup to end the third.

The Dream jumped out to a quick 9-0 run and opened a lead to nine points to start the fourth. The Sparks began to lose some steam and missed a few shots by the rim.

Nurse stopped the bleeding with another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight after the Dream’s lead extended to 11. LA’s momentum picked up and, suddenly, it was a seven-point game.

With three minutes left, the Dream’s lead was eight and the Sparks needed to string together some stops to retake the momentum. Brink knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to six. A free throw by Haley Jones took the visitor's lead back up to seven.

Free throws for the Dream sealed the win after LA's valiant effort to make it interesting at the end.

Key Takeaways:

The Sparks were able to get to the free throw line, but they struggled with their free throws, something to work on for future games.

The turnovers were in double digits and it contributed to the Dream coming from behind early on. Limit the turnovers to help keep the momentum.

Is it too early to start the Hamby and Nurse All-Star campaigns?

The Sparks’ next game will be Saturday against the Las Vegas Aces at 12:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.