Ball movement defined the game for Los Angeles Sparks before the final score. Nneka Ogwumike scored 25 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and four starters reached double figures as they beat Chicago Sky 102-87 with a season-high 32 assists.
“When you look at the assist totals, it wasn’t one player with 16 assists or something like that. It was balanced. The ball was moving, and everyone was involved,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “There’s a mentality now of, ‘We need to get the win,’ instead of, ‘I need to get the bucket.’ That’s the mentality great teams have.”
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Chicago actually led 29-28 after a sloppy first quarter for the Sparks, and Roberts said her team cleaned it up from there.
“I thought we were a little loose in the first quarter. We gave up some transition baskets and weren’t as clean as we needed to be with our coverages,” Roberts said. “After that, though, we held them to 19, 22, and 17 points over the final three quarters. If you defend like that, you’re giving yourself a really good chance to win.”
Los Angeles led 69-64 after an 11-3 third quarter run and ended strong with a 12-3 run in the fourth. Ogwumike’s 3-pointer made it 90-80, Hamby attacked the rim a few layups with 1:36 remaining for a 97-87 lead. She also blocked Vandersloot to clinch the victory.
Ogwumike’s ninth field goal of the night pushed her past 3,000 career points, and her five assists moved her to fifth in franchise history with 764. Erica Wheeler scored 15 points and had eight assists, surpassing Jasmine Thomas for 19th on the WNBA all-time assists list with 1,361. The Sparks received 17 points from Hamby, Rae Burrell, and Ariel Atkins.
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“I thought we played great defense, and we were super poised,” Wheeler said. “I made a turnover and Nneka said, ‘Let it go, get the ball back,’ and when you hear that from the Hall of Fame president, it gives you confidence. For us to display that poise tonight, that should be the standard.”
Kelsey Plum (lower left leg) and Cameron Brink (left ankle) did not play for Los Angeles (10-11), which shot 51% from the field, including 14-of-31 from 3-point range.
Kamilla Cardoso, Gabriela Jaquez, and Sydney Taylor each scored 15 for Chicago (7-15), and Azura Stevens and Jacy Sheldon added 10 apiece. Skylar Diggins (knee) did not play. Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Cardoso was more passive than usual after Los Angeles began sending extra defenders her way.
“A lot of it was Los Angeles bringing extra attention to Kamilla’s dives and post-ups,” Marsh said. “When we did get her the ball, I thought she was a little more passive than she’s been in recent games.”
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Sheldon, who finished with a more aggressive offensive night than usual, said Chicago’s slow start doomed the effort.
“We were trading baskets with them early and gave up too many points in the first half,” Sheldon said. “It’s nothing we can’t fix. We’ll go back, watch the film, and get better from it.”
Jaquez, a Southern California native, scored 15 off the bench and said playing in front of family and friends made the trip to Crypto.com Arena special.
“It was super special. I just want to thank everyone who came out to support me as a Chicago Sky player,” Jaquez said. “Growing up in Southern California, I came to this arena to watch games. Now being the one playing on that court is really a full-circle moment.”
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Chicago visits the Dallas Wings on Sunday. Los Angeles opens a four-game road trip Monday at the Atlanta Dream.
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