LOS ANGELES — The Sparks couldn’t get anything going on offense.
Aside from a late run, the Aces pretty much shackled the Sparks on the defensive end. While the Aces (6-3) didn’t shoot lights out, either, the Sparks were basically in an igloo. The final score was 79-69 in a low-scoring affair for a W game.
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“I thought we did a good job (defensively),” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts began. “We followed the game plan. We had a great scout and we executed that. We just didn’t execute on the offensive end. But holding Vegas to 79 at home, we’ve got to win, right? We’ve got to be better offensively. And we’re going rogue sometimes. We’re not executing and it’s inexcusable. We’ve got to be better. But defensively, I thought we were in gaps. They’ve got some incredible individual players. Jackie (Young) hit some impressive shots. Chelsea (Gray), you know you make one mistake on defense and she’s going to find that open guy. And even still, you know A’ja (Wilson) had what? 25 and 15? And even still, we held them to 79. We’ve got to put a game together at both ends of the floor. And tonight I thought we did a great job defensively and just poor offensively.”
A’ja Wilson knew the Sparks’ offense was dangerous. She talked about it in pregame.
“They have threats on, I think, their depth,” Wilson said. “They have threats of 1 through 5 that can really kind of put points on the board. So we have to defend and stay with our system.”
When asked about why did the offense go rogue, Roberts took responsibility and expanded upon it.
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“That’s on me,” Roberts said. “That’s my responsibility. That’s 100% my fault. I’m not blaming the players for that.”
Roberts then explained further.
“Look at line-ups. Hold more accountability. Less freedom. And I also think, let’s not lose sight of the fact that (Kelsey Plum) really is the head of the snake in terms of the system. And we don’t have her, which we can’t just say, oh, we don’t have KP, therefore. “We don’t have KP, therefore, we really need to execute. Therefore, we really need to be in the right spots. Therefore, we really got to set those screens right. It’s not, therefore, oh, bummer. No. That’s part of it. This is the W; you’re going to have people out. And therefore, you’ve got to execute. Be on the same page with everybody. And ultimately, that’s my responsibility and my fault.”
Nneka Ogwumike supported her coach.
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“It’s not often that you have a coach that will take that amount of responsibility on a game that obviously we were out there playing,” Ogwumike said. “So I just want to play harder. I want to be able to to bring to life what it is that this system that she has for us that we’ve seen work this season. And I took more accountability for my lack of aggression in the last few games. I think I sometimes, in an effort to execute a system, I try my best to not overdo what I’m doing. But I think a part of this is that I need to be able to be aggressive in the right spots, be in the right situations, get my teammates open, be involved in the actions without trying to force it.
“And coach is right,” Ogwumike continued. “We have to have an understanding of our roles on the offensive end. And tonight, we definitely did not show that. The fight was there but we have to give that fight some type of framework. And, you know, she’s a pro’s coach and we have to be pros in that way to respond so that we can get the result we want.”
There was some extracurricular activity between Cameron Brink and NaLyssa Smith. Brink blocked Smith’s shot and it escalated from there, resulting in a technical foul for each player late in the game.
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“I mean, what do you want me to say? Like it’s a physical game,” Brink sharply said. “I’m not afraid of anybody so I mean that’s that’s all I’ll say. I’m not afraid of anybody.”
The Aces were led by A’ja Wilson (what a shock) with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks. She also had three steals. That 25-15-5 line is the third such game for Wilson in the regular season and that is a WNBA record. Jackie Young was able to carry the load for the Aces when Wilson was on the bench; she had 16 points.
Rae Burrell had a career-high 22 points but she came off the court limping as the game drew to a close. Ogwumike had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. But as mentioned, it was an awful shooting night for the Sparks; they shot .308 from the field (the Aces shot .449). Burrell went 8 for 14 herself and if that’s taken away, the rest of the team shot 12 for 51 (.235). That is as sad as Taylor Swift going back to December, to say the least.
When a team’s shooting percentage is around a baseball player’s bad hitting average, it’s probably not a good thing. The Sparks (4-5) better find those swishes when the Wings come to town.
