LOS ANGELES — Another double-double from Nneka Ogwumike was not enough for the Sparks in a game with playoff implications.
Ogwumike scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her 101st career double-double, but the Sparks could not protect an 11-point first-half lead then could not complete a late rally and lost to the Chicago Sky, 76-75, on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Sparks, who are battling Chicago for the No. 8 seed in the WNBA playoffs, missed three potential game-winning shots in the final seconds – a turnaround jump shot by Jordin Canada with 10 seconds left, a corner 3-point attempt by Jasmine Thomas with five seconds remaining, and a fadeaway baseline shot by Karlie Samuelson just before the buzzer.
“Throughout the night we had great looks. We just didn’t shoot the ball well (36.7% from the field and 30.4% from 3-point range),” Canada said. “At the end of the game, we got three looks and couldn’t knock it down but we’ll continue to look at the film and see what we did wrong and move forward to the next game.”
All-Star guard Kahleah Copper scored eight of her 22 points in the final 6:04, including two field goals in the closing 45 seconds, to lead Chicago down the stretch.
Copper ended a 9-0 Sparks run with a layup with 44.5 seconds left to give the Sky a 74-72 lead. Samuelson answered with her second 3-pointer in less than two minutes to put the Sparks back in front at 75-74 with 38.1 seconds left.
Copper drove down the middle of the lane and made a contested layup in the lane to give Chicago a one-point lead with 22.8 seconds left, setting up the Sparks for their final possession and their three misses.
The Sparks (15-20) remain a half-game ahead of Chicago (15-21) for the final playoff spot in the 12-team league and they still control their own playoff destiny with five games left in the regular season, but the Sky do now hold the series tiebreaker after winning three of the four meetings.
“Obviously, playoffs are looming and of course that’s in the back of your mind but just honoring each game, honoring each day, to have the opportunity to compete together is something that we just focus on and realistically we have a group that understands that,” Ogwumike shared. “We can talk about it and bring attention to it but we have a group that really understands that already.”
Canada finished with 16 points, nine assists, four rebounds and four steals, and Samuelson added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Sparks, who lost their second game in a row after a six-game winning streak.
Nneka Ogwumike and Jordin Canada talk about Sparks execution and effort down the stretch in a 76-75 loss at home against the Chicago Sky. Ogwumike said Sparks is well aware of potential playoff implications but she wants her teammates to be in the moment and focus on each game. pic.twitter.com/9x0PNS3GXt
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 30, 2023
Chicago trailed 52-48 midway through the third quarter before scoring the next 13 points for a 61-52 lead. Dana Evans added an off-balance 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer to give Chicago a 64-56 lead entering the fourth.
The Sparks’ 9-0 run to tie the score late in the fourth was a team effort.
Rookie Zia Cooke, who finished with nine points off the bench, started the run with a layup, then Ogwumike got them within 72-67 on a layup with 2:58 left.
They pulled within 72-70 on a 3-pointer by Samuelson with 2:17 left. Canada’s reverse layup then knotted the score with 1:02 left, but she missed her free-throw attempt to complete a potential three-point play, setting up the frantic final minute.
Copper added seven rebounds to her team-high point total. Former Spark Marina Mabrey had 14 points and six assists, Morgan Bertsch added 12 points and Elizabeth Williams had eight points and nine rebounds for Chicago.
Ogwumike scored 10 points in the first quarter to help the Sparks take a 28-21 lead into the second. Canada drained a technical free throw for a 35-24 lead with 6:50 left in the second, but Chicago battled back late in the first half. A Copper 3-pointer tied the score at 43-all with 27 seconds left before halftime. Chicago shot 70% (7 for 10) from behind the arc in the first half.
“It’s a playoff game for us,” Sparks forward Dearica Hamby said before the game. “We have the ability to control our own destiny.”
Hamby did not stop short of calling the contest against Chicago a “must-win” game.
“I think every game is a must-win game. Like I said we can control our destiny with the playoffs coming,” Hamby said.
Dearica Hamby and Zia Cooke on the Sparks treating Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Sky like a playoff game because of the implications the game has on whether or not the Sparks or the Sky will make the playoffs. #LASparks #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/7r6t78AiGa
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 30, 2023
Sparks coach Curt Miller took a more measured ahead of the game.
“It’s hard to say it’s a must-win,” he said before tip-off. “I’ve never put that on our players … the playoffs will play itself out. We can only control what we can control, but as long as we’re playing well I feel momentum is building toward next year. Ultimately the future (is) what I’m so excited about.”
INJURIES AND ABSENCES
With Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon out because of the health and safety protocols, veteran guard Jasmine Thomas started in her place and finished with three points in 23 minutes.
“While Lexie is progressing, after thorough consultation with her, the Sparks training staff, and team doctors, it has been determined that the best decision is to allow Lexie to focus on rest and recovery,” the team said in a statement. “The Sparks fully support Lexie through this process and appreciate respect for her privacy. A further update will be provided when available.”
FOCUS ON SEATTLE
The Sparks host the Seattle Storm on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“We still have five games to go and we have one more big game in Crypto and we’ve got to turn the page,” Miller said. “Turn our focus to Seattle.
“What I want to continue is the fight and determination, the effort. I want to be known as a team that’s really scrappy. We’ll let the wins and losses take care of themselves as long as we’re playing hard.”
BY THE NUMBERS
Ogwumike passed Becky Hammon (5,841) for 15th on the WNBA’s career scoring list. … Canada set a single-season franchise record for steals, passing Alana Beard’s 71 in the 2017 season.
LA Sparks head coach Curt Miller on his message to his team after a tough 76-75 loss at home to the Chicago Sky. The Sparks are a 1/2 game ahead of Chicago in the standings for the No. 8 seed in the WNBA playoffs with 5 games left in the regular season. #WNBA #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/dnQ5PZG5kC
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 30, 2023