Sparks lose second road game in a row unable to slow down Lynx

Sparks start strong but lose steam in the second half, dropping a tough one against the Minnesota Lynx.

Despite a strong first half, the Sparks lose steam and fall to the Minnesota Lynx, 81-76, Friday night.

Los Angeles had poor ends to both the first and second quarter and came out after the halftime break unable to score allowing the Lynx to go on a 7-0 run.

The Sparks stayed in the game but were unable to regain the lead in the closing minutes.

Dearica Hamby, who just signed a contract extension through 2025, continued her dominance with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block in the loss. Kia Nurse pitched in with eight points.

Aari McDonald and Lexie Brown provided instant offense off the bench. McDonald scored 14 points with seven assists and Brown scored 12 points with four assists.

Rickea Jackson had a strong showing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Cameron Brink had a slow offensive game but was active defensively and grabbed four rebounds and two steals but failed to score a point.

Both teams started with great offense, but the Lynx’s defense made the Sparks work hard for their shots. LA was up by five after the first timeout, with strong starts by Hamby and Nurse. A 4-0 run by Minnesota brought them to within three.

Jackson also had a strong opening frame, playing well defensively and scoring six points. Minnesota went on an 11-3 run, but with a Hamby buzzer-beating three, the Sparks held on to a 25-14 lead at the end of the first.

The Lynx began the second quarter with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight. Despite Minnesota’s push, the Sparks kept their foot on the gas to keep the momentum in their favor. LA was efficient from behind the arc, making 66% of their 3-point shots.

Brown was on fire, providing her usual instant offense, scoring double digits off the bench. The Lynx went on a 9-2 run to erase the 10-point lead LA had. Turnovers and missed shots were making the Sparks lose their steam.

Minnesota’s run was up to 11-4, but Hamby ended the quarter with a layup to help Los Angeles sustain some momentum.

LA was up 44-39 at the halftime.

The Sparks' lead was diminishing fast, as Minnesota cut the deficit to two to start the second half.

Both teams exchanged baskets back and forth, but the turnovers were piling up again for Los Angeles. A 3-pointer by Courtney Williams gave the Lynx the ead.

With about a minute left, the Lynx grabbed their biggest lead, going up by seven. Their defense was making it hard for LA to find their shots. McDonald’s offense and an assist to Hamby for a layup cut the deficit to three.

After the Lynx scored again, McDonald ended the quarter with a buzzer-beater to keep the deficit at three.

Minnesota went up by five early in the final frame. The Sparks got it to within two, but the momentum favored the Lynx. Napheesa Collier was torching Los Angeles and was up to 28 points.

All the things Los Angeles did right to begin this game suddenly evaporated as the team struggled to grab rebounds or defend.

With three minutes left, the Lynx were up, but this young Sparks team never gave up and got to within five points after a pair of Jackson free throws.

After a missed 3-pointer by Collier, the Sparks gained possesion and called timeout.

McDonald passed to Jackson at the top of the key and the rookie converted on a nice midrange floater to make it a three-point game with ten seconds left.

The Sparks were suddenly within reach of stealing a win, but Minnesota didn’t collapse as Collier hit her two free throws and sealed the win for the Lynx.

Key Takeaways:

The Sparks need to find a way to reduce their turnovers. Having double-digit turnovers every game is not a winning formula.

Their bench delivered once again, but Los Angeles will need to improve the offensive production of their starting five if they want to win games during this road trip.

The Sparks’ next contest will be Sunday against the Atlanta Dream at 12:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.