LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks suffered a minor setback on Tuesday in their quest to make the playoffs following the team’s 92-84 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. But the Sparks’ loss aside, one of the more pressing concerns after the game was the status of Rickea Jackson who seemingly suffered an injury late in the third quarter.

Rickea Jackson was able to return to the game following the injury, and following the Sparks’ loss to the Mercury, head coach Lynne Roberts provided a brief update on the nature of the injury and whether or not Jackson might have to miss some time.

“I am proud of her for trying to go back in, but I could tell she was just laboring a little bit, and we’ve got a big stretch coming in,” Roberts said. “I actually haven’t talked to the medical team. I think it’s an ankle, something around the shoe area, I don’t know. But she’s tough, she’s tough. And I have a feeling she’ll be fine by the time Friday, 7 p.m. comes around.”

The Sparks’ next game is at home on Friday against the Indiana Fever. Whether or not Jackson will be able to play is yet to be determined. But from Roberts’ initial opinion, it seems as if the team might have dodged a bullet.

The loss dropped the Sparks to 17-19 and they now trail the Seattle Storm by a game and a half for the eighth and final playoff spot. A potential injury and absence from Jackson, who has been on an offensive tear as of late, would certainly strike a major blow to the Sparks’ playoff chances.

Against the Mercury, Jackson finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from the three-point line. It was her second straight game of scoring 20 or more points, and fifth out of the last ten games in the month of August.

Jackson missed time earlier in the season while she was in league-mandated concussion protocol after a hit to the face coincidently against this Mercury team. But she’s emerged as one of the Sparks’ most important players, and Tuesday’s game was the first loss this season for the team when Jackson scores 20 or more points.

She’s appeared in a total of 31 games at a little over 31 minutes per game. She’s been averaging 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists with splits of 42.4 percent shooting from the field, 36.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.