Cameron Brink suffers injury scare in loss vs. Valkyries appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Sparks had their three-game win streak snapped following their 78-58 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Monday, but of more immediate concern was the status of Cameron Brink who seemingly suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the game.
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Immediately after the loss to the Valkyries, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts did not have an update just yet about the extent of Cameron Brink’s injury, only that she had seen the former No. 2 overall pick in the locker room and that she was in the process of being evaluated.
The incident occurred in the second half and Brink was down for a bit before being helped to the bench by her teammates. She then exited to the locker room, finishing her night with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, two rebounds and one blocked shot in 15 minutes.
The former Stanford star had been in the midst of a strong start to the year, emerging as the Sparks’ best defensive player while coming off the bench. She’s been in the top-five in the league in blocks per game at 1.5. But even with Brink on the court, the Sparks’ defense has been an issue this season.
Coming into the game against the Valkyries, the team was dead last in the WNBA in opponents’ points per game, giving up 91.5. They were also last in defensive rating at 112.8. On Monday, the Sparks found themselves already down by double digits at the end of the first quarter, 25-10, and Roberts could see from the get-go that the required defensive attention was simply not there.
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“Defense is a choice, and we came out casual in the first quarter,” Roberts said during her postgame press conference. “We were down 15 and we were playing catch up the whole time. To me, that’s the story of the game, whether that’s 3-point defense or layups or whatever, it’s all of it.”
The Sparks finished off their three-game road trip at 2-1 with wins against the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury before dropping the final one against the Valkyries. They will return home for a two-game stand beginning with the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday and culminating with the New York Liberty on Sunday.
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