Cameron Brink, Rae Burrell get major injury updates, per Sparks coach Lynne Roberts
The Los Angeles Sparks managed to salvage what would have been a disappointing road trip following their 85-75 win against the Indiana Fever on Thursday. Finishing the trip at 1-2, the Sparks return home for a rematch against the Chicago Sky. And much-needed reinforcements might be on the way. Both Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell are expected to return from injury soon, as per Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts.
Prior to the Sparks game against the Sky, Roberts gave a brief update on both Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell in terms of when they might come off the injury report.
'We're still missing Rae Burrell, we're still missing Cameron Brink, those guys will be back. The will be back soon,' Roberts said. 'Rae will be back soon, Cameron will be back soonish. That's a good way to say it.'
'So once we get those guys back and in the rotation, then I think we're going to be. . .part of our inconsistency on the floor has been inconsistency with our roster,' Roberts continued. 'We've had people in and out, hurt, back, and then out, and it's hard. But we're learning from it and we're getting tougher because of it, and we really emphasize control what you can control.'
Brink has yet to make her 2025 season debut as she continues to recover from an ACL injury that cut her rookie season short. Burrell suffered a leg injury during the Sparks' opening night win against the Valkyries and has been out since. Her initial timeline for recovery was four to six weeks. Both players were being looked at as playing crucial roles on this season's team.
Sparks' search for consistency
Consistency has been hard to come by for the Sparks, and that's been even more evident with the rotating roster amid multiple injuries and absences. The Sparks recently welcomed Odyssey Sims back in the fold after she missed the last five games due to personal reasons.
Promising second-year wing Rickea Jackson missed time earlier this season due to being placed in concussion protocol and the lasting after-effects. The team is currently without backup guard Julie Allemand who is participating in Eurobasket with the Belgium national team.
But even with the absences and inconsistency that stems from it, the Sparks have found themselves in close games this season, and have just been unable to close them out. Their fortunes changed against the Fever when they rallied back from a ten-point deficit to win the game.
For Roberts, it was simply a matter of the team being tired of just coming up short.
'I think they were fed up with being this close in so many games. And the difference was, I could feel there was a different vibe. They were way more connected. There wasn't panic and we were down ten with nine minutes to go,' Roberts said. 'To be completely candid, I didn't realize we were down that much in the fourth until I watched the game back home.'
'It just didn't feel like it, there wasn't that panic,' Roberts continued. 'We executed down the stretch, and I think we needed that, not just the win but the way we won. We've got to now stack it.'
Related: Sky's Angel Reese sets WNBA rebounding record after win vs. Sparks
Related: Magic Johnson pays tribute to Candace Parker ahead of Sparks jersey retirement
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