You only get one shot at a first impression — and for the Sparks, led by a first-year coach and a new superstar, Sunday marked the home crowd’s first glimpse of the new-look squad inside Crypto.com Arena.
With high aspirations, including a return to the playoffs, the Sparks faced an early litmus test in the Minnesota Lynx — a perennial contender and last year’s WNBA runner-up, led by one of the league’s elite talents in Napheesa Collier.
The Sparks showed they are clearly capable of competing for a playoff spot with energetic and cohesive play, but their 89-75 loss to Minnesota also demonstrated they’re still behind the league’s elite teams.
“We looked visibly frustrated, and not only is that not going to help you as a player, but the other, believe me, they noticed that too,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said of her team’s finish. “When you’re playing a championship-level team, and they see some frustration, they see some cracks, they’re going to step on your throat.”
In the first half, the Sparks (1-1) went toe-to-toe with the Lynx. They trailed 46-45 at halftime, an encouraging start for a team learning to jell under new leadership while facing a battle-tested opponent returning five starters from last year’s Finals run.
Dearica Hamby led the charge on the offensive glass, relentlessly converting at the free-throw line. She led the Sparks with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double.
Azurá Stevens was unshaken on catch-and-shoot looks, confidently letting it fly on her way to a team-high 21 points. Rickea Jackson added a physical presence, attacking defenders and establishing herself in the lane.
But after a tough third quarter, the gap between the teams became evident. Roberts pointed to the Sparks’ need for growth in leadership and discipline — qualities that faded as the game shifted in the Lynx’s favor.
“They went on an 8-0 run … that suddenly went to 12,” Roberts said. “We’ve got to get better as a group, and just have that next-play mentality. Doesn’t matter if I miss, if I get fouled and they don’t call it, they call it on me.”
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Sparks trailed by eight. They mounted a brief comeback, sparked by a Kelsey Plum steal that led to a transition layup, cutting the deficit to 80-75. A gritty defensive stand followed, with rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker and Collier hitting the deck for a loose ball, setting up another Sparks possession.
“We just got really disjointed,” Roberts said. “Minnesota amped up their pressure. … We just couldn’t come up with the collective chemistry to get going on offense.”
Stevens, the team’s leading scorer with 21 points, showcased the skills she worked on during the offseason, notably her improved three-point shooting. She scored 12 of the team’s first 17 points, making her first trio of three-point attempts to give L.A. an early lead.
“Our guards just came out really aggressive attacking, and then [the Lynx] were sucking in every time,” Stevens said. “Teams are going to sag in when we have people attacking downhill, then we can just kick it out and be confident from the three.”
Stevens drew the tough assignment of containing Collier, a matchup nightmare for the entire Sparks unit. Coming off a 34-point outing Friday that tied an all-time record for a season opener, Collier scored 23 points.
Injuries also continued to be a problem for the Sparks. Rickea Jackson took a hit to the mouth while going after a rebound in the third quarter and watched the remainder of the game from the bench. The Sparks did not have an update on Jackson’s status after the game.
She is the second Sparks starter injured in as many games — Rae Burrell is expected to miss six to eight weeks after sustaining a knee injury Friday against the Golden State Valkyries. The Sparks are down to just four healthy guards.
Julie Allemand’s return from a knee injury can’t come soon enough, and the Sparks still face a potential months-long wait for Cameron Brink to return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“We need to get healthy,” Roberts said. “We don’t have a lot of depth there. There’s not a lot. It’s not like I’m choosing not to play Rickea in the fourth. She was hurt. I’d love to put Rae in, but she’s on crutches.”
The Sparks didn’t lean heavily on Plum after she played 40 minutes on Friday — a workload Roberts called “unsustainable.”
To lighten the load, Roberts turned to Barker for critical minutes at the point. She logged 24 minutes and scored six points in her first game at Crypto.com Arena — a milestone for the self-proclaimed “Mamba Mentality” disciple.
She brought intensity on the boards, ripped the ball away from Collier and even swatted a block low in the paint.
“We’re a little bit thin in the guard line, but [Barker] did a good job,” said Roberts of the Sparks’ first-round draft pick. “She’s just fearless. And she also does what is required for running a play. … She crashes the boards, she plays hard defensively.”
The Sparks play at the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday.
“We’re two games in,” Roberts said. “I’m not stressed, like, ‘Oh my gosh, the sky is falling,’ but we do have to get tougher. If we don’t get tougher, then it gets more concerning.”