When the Sparks faced the Phoenix Mercury last month, the game ended with a failed Sparks comeback.
There was another comeback Sunday — and it belonged to Phoenix.
Unable to stay ahead after building an 18-point lead, the Sparks fell 85-80 to the Mercury at Crypto.com Arena for their third consecutive loss.
The third quarter once again proved to be the Sparks undoing. After scoring just seven points in the third quarter in their loss to Phoenix on May 21, the Sparks were outscored 24-9 in the third on Sunday.
Before the game, Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said consistency in transition defense, avoiding prolonged bad stretches and fluid ball movement would define a strong third quarter. None of that materialized against Phoenix (5-2).
After opening with their best first quarter of the season, the Sparks quickly became visibly frustrated in the second half. A three-pointer from Kathryn Westbeld with 2:11 left in the third gave the Mercury their first lead, 58-57, and capped a 21-5 run.
The shift in energy was palpable in what became a chippy, physical game. Momentum swung in Phoenix’s favor late in the third when Satou Sabally was fouled by Kelsey Plum while scoring on a layup, pointing and shouting to the Sparks bench as she celebrated.
Sabally finished as the Mercury’s leading scorer with 24 points. She also had nine rebounds.
The teams traded leads early in the fourth quarter. Trailing by two, with 25 seconds left, Plum turned over the ball while trying to pass to an open shooter. Plum then fouled Kitija Laksa, who made two free throws to make it a four-point game.
Plum was one for 13 in the second half, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds.
The Sparks (2-6) were a different team in the first quarter behind a new starting lineup of Julie Allemand, Dearica Hamby, Azurá Stevens, Odyssey Sims, Plum. They scored 27 points and had a 10-point lead going into the second quarter. After struggling with flat starts all season, the team finally found an early rhythm — one they’ve shown in flashes, but haven’t sustained.
Standing at 5-foot-8, Sims — one of the Sparks’ fiercest competitors — helped keep the team in the game, scoring a game-high 32 points.
She relentlessly attacked the basket, giving Mercury defender Sami Whitcomb the “too small’ gesture in the process. She hit the floor multiple times on hard drives, fighting through contact, and getting in the faces of Mercury defenders to confront them about foul calls. At times, the toll of her effort showed, as she walked with a slight limp between plays.
Despite the effort it wasn’t enough to secure a much-needed win for a Sparks team that will play eight of its next 11 games on the road.
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