MINNEAPOLIS — The Sparks (10-12) are in for a big test.
Despite the loss against the Dream on Monday, the Sparks have played well in the last week or so. The ball movement has been more crisp, the defense has been more active, shots are going in, and, most importantly, the team has looked more energetic.
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They’re going to need all of that when they face the Minnesota Lynx (18-6), who have the best record in the league. The match-up will happen on Wednesday, noon local time.
We know the story by now: while Napheesa Collier continues to recover from her injury, their prized rookie Olivia Miles has stepped up and kept the Lynx on top. Miles has been phenomenal; she gets into the paint with little to no problems, she’s hit big shots, she finds her teammates in the toughest of spots, and has that stage presence that the superstars have.
It sounded ludicrous from pundits when it was said that the W hasn’t seen a rookie like Miles (19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists per) in a long time, considering in previous years, the league has seen Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark come in. But the way Miles has kept the team on top of the standings, those same pundits may have a point here.
“She’s good,” Sparks coach Lynne Robert said about Miles, who scored 31 points against the Sparks, after their June 17 loss to the Lynx. “She’s talented and, what I said pregame, she’s super skilled. So we were trying to mix things up. We didn’t execute it exactly how we’d hoped to all the time. But you have to just tip your hat to her. She’s a great player with a lot of skill. Her ballhandling and vision is what separates her.”
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Of course, it’s not a one-woman show; the Lynx also have consistent perimeter threat Kayla McBride, master of the middy Courtney Williams, underrated powerhouse Natasha Howard, and the ever-reliable Nia Coffey. Cheryl Reeve knows what to do in any situation; she is the winningest coach in the league’s history, after all.
The Sparks did prove that they can beat any team. However, they have not beaten the Lynx since the end of the 2024 campaign. But if they keep their energy up, they can be a pest to their opponents. Also, Cameron Brink is listed as questionable, and the Sparks can use all the defensive help they need.
What’s been encouraging for the Sparks is that the makeshift starting line-up of Nneka Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby, Rae Burrell, Ariel Atkins, and Erica Wheeler have all scored in double digits the last three games. They can use contributions from the bench, too; if Brink plays, that’s where she can help. But the starters’ production has been reassuring for the team.
“We just got to stay together,” Burrell said after Monday’s loss. “Let’s think about this league: you play every other night so we don’t really have time to dwell on what’s already happened and just focus on what we can do better. We’re seeing growth in areas, which is very good, so we just want to keep building on that and find that consistency and keep that momentum going.”
A win against the Lynx would be a huge building block. Their second half of their season begins and every win matters as they try to get closer to evening their record and over the .500 hump.
