Third quarter collapse dooms Sparks against Mercury

The Sparks lost their first game of the Commissioner’s Cup to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday afternoon after blowing an 18-point lead in the third quarter.

An abysmal third quarter from the Sparks saw them blow an 18-point first-half lead before falling to the Mercury, 85-80.

Odyssey Sims scored 17 of her 32 points in the first half. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished four dimes. Dearica Hamby ended with 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Kelsey Plum had 15 points and six rebounds.

Azurá Stevens pitched in with five points and seven rebounds. Sarah Ashlee Barker was huge off the bench, going 2-4 from behind the arc, ending with six points and a team-best plus-minus of +13.

It was the Odyssey show early as she started things with a 3-pointer. Dearica and Kelsey contributed with seven points all while the Mercury were seemingly draining every three they took. Sims then went on a mini run, scoring five points, leading to a four-point lead for LA.

Out of a Phoenix timeout, Kitija Laksa drained her second 3-pointer of the quarter. She was leading the Mercury with nine points. Los Angeles had taken over the momentum with their strong defense and scoring.

The Sparks were up to 52% scoring from the field while Phoenix was at a rough 29%. Odyseey was still cooking, knocking down another 3-pointer. A quick 9-0 scoring run from LA to end the first put them ahead by 10.

The second quarter began just as positively as the first with Los Angeles dominating Phoenix completely. Azurá knocked down her first 3-pointer of the game. Sarah then proceeded to get hot from behind the arc by draining two straight 3-pointers. The lead extended to 15 for the purple and gold.

Phoenix still couldn’t string together a run to give the Sparks a challenge. They also left Kelsey wide open for the easiest 3-pointer. The Mercury were now shooting 26% from behind the arc, while LA was at 44% as the lead reached its largest at 18.

Los Angeles fouled Satou Sabally on three different occasions, leading to her scoring six points to help cut the deficit down. A very welcome sight was Mercedes Russell scoring four points off the bench for the Sparks.

At halftime, LA was up 13.

The Sparks started the second half much cooler than they had played in the first, allowing Phoenix to capitalize with a quick 9-1 scoring run that trimmed the lead to single digits. LA was forced to call a timeout to stop the Mercury’s sudden surge. Coming out of the break, a turnover led to a Phoenix 3-pointer on the other end.

Odyssey converted on a layup to stop some of the bleeding, but Azurá unfortunately picked up her fourth foul.

With three minutes left until the fourth, LA had only scored five points in the quarter as Phoenix was storming back into the game. Odyssey continued her hot shooting by converting on a jumper. Kathryn Westbeld was on a tear all quarter long, single-handedly leading Phoenix with 10 points. She was three for four from behind the arc.

The Mercury took the lead at the 2:10 mark. The Sparks were now at 13 turnovers for the game after having a clean first half. LA’s shooting had gotten so bad that even Kelsey was missing layups she usually makes with ease. Despite being outscored 24-9 in the third, Los Angeles managed to hang around and was only down by two going into the fourth.

The final frame was all Odyssey as she scored seven straight points for the Sparks to give them momentum. The lead went back and forth between the teams. The Mercury went up by three after a 3-pointer from Sabally.

Kelsey converted on a tough layup to make it a one-point affair. Each time Phoenix would retake the lead, Los Angeles had an answer. At the 3:26 mark, it was a tie game thanks to five quick points from Dearica.

Phoenix scored six straight points, possibly putting the game away. Kelsey then scored four points off free throws to make it a two-point game again. With the game winding down, Kelsey had three attempts in one possession to tie or take the lead but couldn’t get a shot to drop, leading to her having to foul Laksa, who drained both free throws.

The Sparks then had to play the foul game to extend the game as much as possible, but couldn’t overcome the deficit.

Key Takeaways:

Los Angeles’ constant slow third quarters doom them. If they could find a way to build on whatever good momentum they have in the first half, they’d have an easier time stacking wins.

Mercedes logged in nice minutes off the bench. She could be a major factor if she continues to be aggressive with scoring.

The Sparks’ next game will be Friday against the Dallas Wings at 6:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.