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The Los Angeles Sparks are coming off their biggest win of the season following a 98-93 takedown of the Las Vegas Aces. The Sparks have another game coming up on Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury during which they're expected to have Azurá Stevens back in the lineup from injury for the first time this season.
Azurá Stevens suffered an arm injury while playing in China in the offseason and had been missing from the Sparks' lineup. Her return will give the team a major boost especially in the frontcourt with the loss of Cameron Brink due to a torn ACL. The Sparks have since reverted to a small lineup with Dearica Hamby moving to center and Stephanie Talbot playing small ball power forward.
Stevens had mentioned earlier this week that she was on track to make her 2024 season debut before the Olympic break but she did not have a specific date. Stevens joined the Sparks as a free agent last season. During the 2023 season, she appeared in 35 games for the Sparks, including 29 starts, at a little over 26 minutes per game.
She averaged 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 40.4 percent shooting from the field, 32.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Azurá Stevens was originally drafted by the Dallas Wings with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She played for the Wings for two seasons before joining the Chicago Sky. Stevens was an impact player for the Sky during their 2021 championship run. She was one of the top free agents on the market in 2023 when the Sparks signed her. Her return to the lineup comes a key time when the Sparks are set to go up against a good frontcourt in Brittney Griner and the Mercury.
Sparks coming off biggest win of the season
The Sparks snapped an eight-game losing streak on Friday with a win against the defending champion Aces. They had beaten the Aces earlier in the season but the Aces had been without Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young during that game. The Aces were at full strength for the recent matchup.
For a young team struggling to find consistency and wins, that was the kind of win that could help buoy the team to strong finish before the Olympic break is set to hit. The Sparks have had trouble recently closing out games but they were able to cross the finish line against an elite opponent. Following the game, Sparks head coach Curt Miller spoke about the team being able to keep their composure despite a late challenge from the Aces.
“As they made their run in the fourth quarter, in times, those are the games that would slip away. They were better tonight, we were much more composed in the huddles. . .I was much more composed in the huddles. I got a technical two minutes to go in a close game, but I did have better composure with them in timeouts,” Miller said. “That starts from the top. When they saw myself more composed in timeouts, naturally they're more composed. I'm really proud of them.”
Playing a crucial role in the win was Aari McDonald. McDonald moved into the starting lineup during the Sparks recent seven-game road trip. Against the Aces, she finished with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot. She shot 8-of-17 from the field and 3-of-4 from the three-point line. Following the game, McDonald also emphasized the team's ability to stay composed, a stark contrast from their loss to the Mystics earlier in the week.
“I think that we stayed together. Vegas had their runs, we expected that, but the difference from tonight and Tuesday was we stayed together,” McDonald said. “We communicated and I think that we minimized their shot but we were also executing and scoring.”
