Shorthanded Sparks lose to Storm

With key players such as Kelsey Plum out, the Sparks were unable to beat the Storm at home on Tuesday.

The Sparks ended their Commissioner’s Cup run with a whimper, falling to the Storm 98-67.

With Kelsey Plum out, Los Angeles had no offensive engine to help drive them to victory. They struggled from the field, shooting 32% as a team and never led during the second half.

Azurá Stevens had a double-double in the loss, ending the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Rickea Jackson had a team-high 17 points.

Los Angeles is now 4-9 on the season.

Early on, the Sparks did their damage from beyond the arc. Shey Peddy kicked things off with a three and Sarah Ashlee Barker converted on a pair of 3-pointers to give L.A. a brief 11-6 edge.

Seattle responded with a 5-0 run of their own to even the score. The contest was an even affair midway through the first, but Seattle went on an 11-2 run to end the quarter.

The Storm trio of Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler did most of the damage during this scoring outburst for Seattle. Entering the second period, the Sparks trailed 26-19.

Los Angeles started the scoring in the second with Stevens converting on an and-one play.

L.A.’s following four points came from the charity stripe, and suddenly the deficit had shrunk to just two points.

Gabby Williams hit a 3-pointer for the Storm and after a Jackson basket from beyond the arc, Skylar Diggins added another deep shot from the corner, putting the Storm back up by five.

Seattle continued to pile on with Ogwumike scoring four straight points, followed by an assist to Ezi Magbegor. Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts called for a timeout in an attempt to slow down the Storm.

Jackson finally ended the run with a layup, and Dearica Hamby added another basket to put L.A. within five.

The Sparks ended the second quarter poorly, just like the first, as the Storm went on a 5-0 run to end the period.

At the break, Seattle was ahead of Los Angeles 47-37.

The third quarter started with Ogwumike picking up where she left off, scoring inside through contact. She added another basket in the following Seattle possession as the Storm's advantage ballooned to 13 points.

Hamby finally scored for the Sparks after nearly two minutes of play in the quarter. Unfortunately, her points didn’t help build momentum as the Storm continued to pile on.

Ogwumike was getting whatever she wanted inside and after a Wheeler 3-pointer, the Storm were on a 12-5 run to start the second half.

Seattle led by as many as 26 in the third while Los Angeles collectively struggled from the field, converting on just 32% of their shots.

The only highlight for L.A. was a block by rookie Sania Feagin.

As the game entered the final frame, the Sparks trailed the Storm 75-53.

Hamby checked in at the 8:29 mark as a final attempt by Los Angeles to see if a comeback was still possible. Seattle continued to pile on points as Lexie Brown added another Storm 3-pointer, ensuring any surge by the Sparks wasn’t going to happen.

With 3:13 left in the game, the Sparks pulled key starters Stevens and Hamby out of the game, essentially calling it a night.

Key Takeaways:

The Sparks' offense was ugly and even when the score was close, it never felt as though they were in the game. With so many key rotation players out, it was too much to ask this shorthanded team to pull out a win against a squad as good as Seattle.

If they don’t get players back soon, June can be an ugly month for Los Angeles.

The Sparks’ next game will be on Saturday on the road against the Minnesota Lynx at 3:00 PM PT.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.