Scrappy Sparks come up just short against Aces

The Sparks battled to the finish line but came up just short against the two-time defending champion Aces.

The Sparks gave the Aces a tough contest all the way to the final buzzer before coming up short in Las Vegas, 89-82.

Dearica Hamby and Kia Nurse continued their dominance, leading the offensive charge. Hamby ended the game with 29 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Nurse scored 13 points.

Cameron Brink’s foul trouble continued, but she provided defense with five blocks and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Rickea Jackson had a strong showing with 13 points. Lexie Brown chipped in with 16 points.

Both teams started cold from the field, but the energy picked up and the Sparks struck first with a free throw. The Aces grabbed a four-point lead after a three by Alysha Clark.

LA took the lead by three after a block by Brink, leading into a 3-pointer by Nurse. Neither team established a huge lead, but Nurse dominated for LA and helped them grab a two-point lead to end the first quarter.

The Sparks continued their great play into the second quarter. Nurse was up to 13 points and was the only player from either team in double digits. LA’s defense kept them completely locked in. Jackson knocked down a three that gave LA a five-point lead.

The Sparks made the Aces fight for every shot making nothing come easy. LA began to get sloppy with the ball, committing eight turnovers and looking lackadaisical. The Aces picked up their offense with a 9-0 run, taking a two-point lead.

The Aces had snatched all the momentum and LA’s energy was fading. A’Ja Wilson, whom the Sparks had guarded well, picked up her offense for the Aces. Behind their 17-1 run, the Aces lead by nine into halftime.

Both teams hit their first shots to start the second half. The Sparks looked more energetic, but their foul trouble became a problem.

Momentum was on the Sparks side as Hamby scored eight straight points to cut the deficit to nine. It was a four-point game after a three by Brown. Hamby’s play was igniting great offense for LA.

The Aces tried to snatch the momentum, but Los Angeles took it back to make it a five-point game. Unfortunately, the Aces did eventually take the momentum back and extended their lead to 12 to end the quarter.

Brown knocked down a triple to open the fourth quarter for LA. Kelsey Plum’s three-ball was starting to hit and she knocked down another for the Aces. Their lead was extended to 13 after a 3-pointer by Jackie Young.

The Sparks would have to dig deep into their defense to help create the offense they needed to make a run. With five minutes left, Los Angeles turned up their energy and made it an eight-point game.

Brink completed a three-point play to bring the Sparks to within five. Brown rolled her ankle and was in visible pain, but she walked to the bench under her power. With two minutes left, LA was within six.

After a layup by Hamby, they were within four, and the Aces took a timeout. Brown came back into the game after having rolled her ankle earlier. Hamby’s offensive onslaught continued as she made a layup to make it a four-point game with seconds left.

Young knocked down a three to put a dagger into the hearts of the Sparks with 19.5 seconds left, making it a seven-point game. Kia Stokes blocked Brown to put the final nail in the coffin for LA.

Key Takeaways:

LA’s turnovers took them out of the game. They had eight in the second quarter alone. Cleaning up the turnovers will help them keep their momentum high.

Points in the paint are a huge strength for the Sparks. Always attack the paint!

The Sparks have shown a lot of fight and heart in these first two games of the season. They didn’t end with wins, but the future is bright and there’s a lot of good to take away.

The rookies continue to have strong showings, but Brink’s foul trouble has been rough to start.

The Sparks’ next game will be Tuesday against the Washington Mystics at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.