WNBA: Sparks, Aces and everything at stake in Sunday’s games

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Only the dying embers of the Los Angeles Sparks’ playoff hopes remain.

After two-straight losses to the Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles needs a near-miracle to reignite their postseason ambitions. The No. 9-seed Sparks not only must win their remaining three games, but also need at least one of the Indiana Fever or Seattle Storm, currently the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively, to lose the rest of their games.

That the Sparks play the cellar-dwelling Dallas Wings on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, NBA TV) provides a sliver of optimism, until a quick look at their final two contests reveals games against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday and the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday. Yikes! More than that, the Fever can seriously dim LA’s prospects before the Sparks and Wings even tip off in Southern California. Indy meets the Washington Mystics in Baltimore earlier on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBA TV), and with a win, the Fever will clinch a spot in the playoffs, leaving the Sparks dependent on the Storm losing their final game on Tuesday to the Golden State Valkyries to keep their playoff possibility alight.

The outlook is dark for LA. But, it will be even darker if they cannot try to control their own destiny by defeating the Wings. Last time these teams met, Los Angeles held on for the win, despite Paige Bueckers stealing the showtime spotlight by scoring WNBA season-high 44 points.

Paige’s performance, in combination with the nine triples and 37 points Rhyne Howard dropped on LA on Friday, should have the Sparks ready to defend with a desperate attention to detail that they have not demonstrated all season. Otherwise, they don’t deserve to make the playoffs.

Despite Dallas’ depleted state, it won’t be surprising if Bueckers plays spoiler in her LA encore on Sunday. Likewise, her fellow rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen could do the same for the Mystics, snapping Washington’s eight-game losing streak and stalling Indiana’s playoff berth.

On Saturday, another rookie was the star spoiler, with Leïla Lacan pushing the Connecticut Sun past the Phoenix Mercury, 87-84, by scoring six points—a layup and four free throws—in the game’s final minute. While the Mercury are assured a trip to the playoffs, the loss prevented them matching the record of the No. 2-seed Dream, putting them, instead, in the No. 4 seed. It also ended their six-game winning streak.

Overall, Lacan had 14 points, while the Sun’s other underdog rookies contributed to the upset effort. Aneesah Morrow grabbed 13 boards to go with her nine points, while Saniya Rivers had six points, six boards, five assists, two blocks and a steal. The veteran duo of Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey also provided a significant assist to the rooks; Charles finished with a 22-point and 10-rebound double-double and Mabrey scored 23 points.

Can the Chicago Sky, despite some internal issues, similarly serve as the spoiler for the Aces on Sunday night (9 p.m. ET, NBA TV)? Like the Mercury, the Aces will be aiming to claim a share of the No. 2 seed, in addition to extending their winning streak to 14 games.

The first-half absence of Angel Reese is a blow to Chicago’s upset bid. Historically, the duo of Reese and Kamilla Cardoso have deployed their combined length to cause A’ja Wilson a little more trouble that usual. In late August, A’ja scored 18 points on 18 shot attempts against the Sky; however, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray combined for eight 3-pointers on 11 attempts, exploiting a season-long Sky weakness to allow the Aces to secure the five-point win.

Those defensive woes, in addition to severe offensive issues Chicago has experienced without Reese, suggest Vegas will be celebrating No. 14 in a row on Sunday night.