The Los Angeles Sparks' current road trip continues with a rematch against the New York Liberty on Saturday. But in order for the Sparks to beat the Liberty, they're going to have to do so short-handed as Lexie Brown has been ruled out due to an unspecified illness as per team PR.
The Sparks are already short-handed in the frontcourt with injuries to Cameron Brown and Azurá Stevens. Stevens has not played so far this season as she's dealing with an arm injury. Brink recently suffered a torn ACL and is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Lexie Brown was limited to only six minutes in the Sparks' loss to the Liberty on Thursday. She finished with only one assist and two steals. This is Brown's third season with the Sparks. She was acquired by the team ahead of the 2022 season in a trade with the Chicago Sky.
Last season, Brown was limited to only 12 games as she was sidelined the majority of the year due to illness. She was ultimately diagnosed with Crohn's disease in the offseason. Brown signed a two-year contract extension with the Sparks back in February that will carry her through the 2026 season.
Brown has appeared in 16 games this season for the Sparks. She began the year in the starting lineup but has since moved the bench in favor of rookie Rickea Jackson. She's been averaging 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 32.1 percent shooting from the field, 30.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Lexie Brown's absence opens door for Sparks' youth
With Lexie Brown out for the Sparks' game against the Liberty, that seemingly opens the door for opportunity for the some of the younger players on the bench. During Thursday's loss, it was two of them in particular, Zia Cooke and Rae Burrell who helped engineer a rally before the team ultimately fell short.
Cooke scored a season-high 13 points, including nine in the fourth quarter while Burrell had a season-high 11 points, seven in the fourth quarter. Cooke is in her second year with the Sparks after being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Burrell in her third year with the team as the No. 9 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
Cooke has appeared in 13 games this season at a little over eight minutes per game. She's been averaging 2.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists with splits of 30 percent shooting from the field, 26.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 62.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Burrell has appeared in 13 games as well this season at a little over ten minutes per game. She's been averaging 3.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists with splits of 38.9 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 77.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
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