Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby reached a career milestone in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx, scoring her 3,000th point during Tuesday night's game. Despite Hamby's personal accomplishment, the Sparks fell 82-67 to the Lynx at Crypto.com Arena, continuing a challenging season for the team.
Minnesota, playing without their star forward Napheesa Collier for the second consecutive game, never trailed. The Lynx built an early 15-point lead in the first quarter and extended it to as many as 25 points during the game. Bridget Carleton led Minnesota with 16 points, while Dorka Juhasz added a season-high 15 points, effectively offsetting Collier's absence.
“Obviously, a game where we were outplayed and outcoached,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said post-game, as reported by Benjamin Royer of the Los Angeles Times. “This is why Minnesota is one of the top three teams in the league right now — their execution, tempo, screening and physicality have been impressive all year.”
The Sparks, now 5-17, had ended an eight-game losing streak with a win over the Las Vegas Aces last Friday but have struggled to maintain that momentum.
Dearica Hamby led all scorers between Sparks, Lynx
Hamby led all scorers with 18 points, reaching her 3,000-point milestone. However, Minnesota's dominance was evident throughout the game. Hamby acknowledged the need for veteran leadership to set the tone early in games.
“I got to start with the toughness and the physicality from the start of the game,” Hamby said. “As a pro, you kind of learn yourself, but when you have to lead, I think I have to be more intentional about the tone that I set from the beginning.”
The Lynx took control early, forcing Miller to call two timeouts in the first quarter as Minnesota's Alissa Pili and Cecilia Zandalasin hit back-to-back three-pointers, leaving the Sparks trailing 29-16. Despite reducing the deficit to five points in the second quarter, the Sparks ended the half down by 16 points and saw the gap widen to 25 points by midway through the third quarter.
Sparks forward Azurá Stevens made her first start since returning from left arm surgery in March, scoring nine points and grabbing six rebounds.
“I feel good,” Stevens said. “It’s a condensed season, so I’ve had reps in practice. … I’m still getting used to just the physicality of the game, incorporating my arm in that.”
Turnovers continued to plague the Sparks, who finished with 18 turnovers leading to 22 points for Minnesota. The Lynx capitalized on their shooting accuracy, hitting 50% from beyond the arc, while the Sparks struggled, shooting just 3 for 20 from long range.
“We talked about the margin in here a lot between winning or losing for us,” Miller said. “Our margin is different than a bunch of teams in this league. And so you have to — every night — bring your toughness, your energy, your physicality.”
Follow Us
Subscribe