The post Azurá Stevens drops honest admission on Sparks’ playoff chances appeared first on ClutchPoints.
LOS ANGELES – While the Los Angeles Sparks have not yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they face an uphill climb down the stretch of the regular season. The Sparks kept their postseason hopes alive on Sunday following their 81-78 win against the Washington Mystics, and with the second game of a back-to-back looming Monday night against the Seattle Storm, Azurá Stevens summed up the team’s mentality for the last weeks of the season.
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“We know what’s at stake, we’re just trying to break it down to each possession matters. Not getting too caught up in, ‘oh we got to win X-amount of games.’ We know the circumstances, but all we can control is the next possession,” Stevens said. “Just take it day by day and really focusing on us. Our defense, our rebounding, our pace on offense, just really looking at us as a team and just taking it day by day.”
With the win, the Sparks improved to 18-20 and are two games back of the Golden State Valkyries for the eighth and final playoff spot. Following the team’s loss to the Indiana Fever on Friday, Dearica Hamby hinted at what record the Sparks need to finish with to make the playoffs.
On Sunday, Azurá Stevens did her part to ensure the Sparks’ playoff hopes stayed alive. She was one point short of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. She also dished out four assists. Against the Fever on Friday, she finished with a team-high 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Stevens has turned in a career year under new head coach Lynne Roberts, and is in the running for the league’s Most Improved Player Award. Coming into Sunday, she had started all 37 games and was averaging a career-high 13.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocked shots. She was shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 41.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 77.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
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Before the Mystics game, Roberts spoke about Stevens’ big game against the Fever, albeit in a loss.
“I thought she played fearless and aggressive, and I was proud of her. When she let that first shot go, I was like, ‘there it is.’ She didn’t hesitate, she didn’t think about it, and that’s what we need from her,” Roberts said. “I’m sure that’s a confidence boost for her. . .she had a couple game stretch where she didn’t feel like she was playing to the best of her ability, but I thought she did a tremendous job the other night.”
The Sparks have six games remaining in the regular season, and they embark on a three-game road trip with a game against the Storm, followed by two games against the Atlanta Dream. That stretch will most likely make or break the team’s playoff hopes.
Related: Sparks’ Kelsey Plum evaluates clutch 4th quarter in crucial win vs. Mystics
Related: Sparks’ Dearica Hamby reaches big career milestone in crucial win vs. Mystics
