WNBA: Los Angeles Sparks can’t overcome the Minnesota Lynx in home opener

Fans filled the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday afternoon as the Los Angeles Sparks hosted the Minnesota Lynx at home two days after defeating the Golden State Valkyries 84-67.

Ahead of the game Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts was effusive with praise for Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who she described as the “matriarch” of the WNBA, explaining “I have a lot of respect for them and their franchise. It’s one thing to win, but to sustain winning is really hard.”Roberts also said today is “one of 43 games” left for the Sparks this season. That upbeat outlook would prove to serve her and her team well, as the Lynx dominated the Sparks for most of the game, resulting in an 89-75 Minnesota win.

Roberts was also asked about the league’s new “No Space for Hate” campaign. The WNBA is investigating claims that fans of the Indiana Fever were verbally racist to Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese during the team’s game on Saturday, May 17. “There is no place for [racism] in our league,” Roberts said. “I think this is a diverse league. It’s a league of predominantly African American women, and we need to be a space that’s safe and that empowers everybody.”

When the game began, the Lynx tried to pull ahead quickly, but the Sparks were ready from the jump. Azurá Stevens and Rickea Jackson were dominant forces for the Sparks, swiftly answering the Lynx bucket for bucket—and taking advantage of the fact that the Lynx were heavily guarding Kelsey Plum, who scored 37 points on Golden State this weekend. Stevens sent the crowd into overdrive with back-to-back 3s, bringing the score to 17-14 with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.

Minnesota was unwilling to be shaken off easily, and kept the score tied for most of the first. The team led by five points heading into the second quarter, with Napheesa Collier making a serious case for herself as one of the league’s most dominant players. She seemed well on her way to a potential double-double by the quarter’s end with 12 points and three rebounds.

LA rookie Sara Ashlee Barker also checked into the game during the first, an unsurprising move given Roberts’ praise of the newcomer during the pregame press conference, when she said to reporters of Barker, “She came in prepared, you know. She was ready as a rookie, and there’s still a learning curve, but her mentality. She’s tough physically and mentally.”

The Sparks swiftly brought the score up to 30-27 within seconds of the begin of the second quarter. Barker stole the ball from Collier in a surprise move, but the team failed to finish. Moments later Barker followed that up with a big-time block that thrilled Sparks fans.

Collier continued to prove to be unstoppable throughout the second, but Odyssey Sims played a strong game of defense against Courtney Williams, who repeatedly found herself stopped by Sims. Plum finally found a way to break through the Lynx defense with two minutes left in the quarter, and ended the half with nine points, a rebound and three assists.

The teams headed into the break with a score of 46-45. Collier had upped her stats to 17 points and four rebounds; Hamby and Stevens exited the first two frames with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Jackson brought the Sparks up by a point within a minute of the third quarter, but Williams deftly answered her shot with a 3 that brought the score back up in favor of the Lynx. Minnesota rocketed the score up to 55-47 well before the halfway mark of the period, largely due to the combined efforts of Collier and Alanna Smith. The Lynx continued to dominate the quarter, especially as Sims appeared to tire out against a relentless Williams.

A forced jump ball and a foul on Stevens put the Sparks back into the game 68-62 with 53 seconds left in the quarter. Those free throws were answered by Natisha Hiedeman, who hit a pair from the line that pushed the Lynx back up to a 70-62 lead. Jackson took a blow to the face as the buzzer sounded and remained on the floor for several minutes, but was eventually helped up by the Sparks’ staff.

The fourth quarter began with big hits from Barker, who showed fans she can do just about everything for the Sparks, and Plum, though LA still trailed the Lynx for most of the quarter. A foul on Plum followed by a wide-open lay-up helped bring the Sparks within five points of the Lynx with seven and a half minutes on the clock, just before Barker logged her fourth personal foul of the night.

The score was 84-70 with just under five minutes left in the game and Collier showed no signs of being willing to give the Sparks an inch. Stevens hit a giant 3 for the Sparks with only two minutes left, but ultimately the Lynx defense proved too strong and Minnesota walked away with the win, 89-75.

Though the Sparks slowed down toward the game’s end, both teams offered fans quite the show of basketball. For the Sparks, Hamby logged 20 points and 10 rebounds, Stevens added 21 points and six rebounds and Plum contributed 18 points and two rebounds of her own. For the Lynx, Collier hit 23 points and six rebounds, Smith ended the night with 18 points, and Williams totaled 13 points and nine assists for the night.