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Yahoo
a day ago
- General
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Sparks fail to hold on to 18-point lead in frustrating loss to Mercury
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum drives to the basket during an 85-80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury at Arena on Sunday. (Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images) 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 Arena for their third consecutive loss. Advertisement 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. Read more: Sparks can't stop A'ja Wilson and Aces in Kelsey Plum's return to Las Vegas 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. 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement The Sparks 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 to the finish, 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. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
a day ago
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Mercury overcome an 18-point first-half deficit to beat the Sparks 85-80
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Satou Sabally had 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals, Kathryn Westbeld and Kitija Laksa each scored 15 and the Phoenix Mercury overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 85-80 on Sunday. Westbeld made an open 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:11 left in the third quarter to give the Mercury their first lead, 58-57, since it was 14-13 in the opening frame. Sabally added two free throws to cap Phoenix's 23-7 run. Advertisement Los Angeles guard Kelsey Plum forced a jump ball with 1:06 left in the fourth and the Sparks took possession. Los Angeles had three chances at the other end, trailing 80-78, but Plum missed a 3-pointer and a free-throw line jumper before turning it over on a drive into the lane. Laksa made two free throws for Phoenix with 18.9 left and Westbeld added two at 9.9 for an 84-80 lead. Sami Whitcomb made three of Phoenix's 12 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Monique Akoa Makani had 10 points and six assists for the Mercury (5-2). Odyssey Sims led Los Angeles (2-6) with 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Plum was 4 of 19 from the field for 15 points, and Dearica Hamby had 15 points and eight boards. Advertisement Los Angeles, which led 47-29 with 2:54 left before halftime, went 8 of 20 from 3-point range in the first half before missing all 15 attempts after the break. Up next Phoenix continues its road trip at Minnesota on Tuesday. Los Angeles is off until Friday when it plays at Dallas. ___ AP WNBA:
Associated Press
a day ago
- General
- Associated Press
Mercury overcome an 18-point first-half deficit to beat the Sparks 85-80
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Satou Sabally had 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals, Kathryn Westbeld and Kitija Laksa each scored 15 and the Phoenix Mercury overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 85-80 on Sunday. Westbeld made an open 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:11 left in the third quarter to give the Mercury their first lead, 58-57, since it was 14-13 in the opening frame. Sabally added two free throws to cap Phoenix's 23-7 run. Los Angeles guard Kelsey Plum forced a jump ball with 1:06 left in the fourth and the Sparks took possession. Los Angeles had three chances at the other end, trailing 80-78, but Plum missed a 3-pointer and a free-throw line jumper before turning it over on a drive into the lane. Laksa made two free throws for Phoenix with 18.9 left and Westbeld added two at 9.9 for an 84-80 lead. Sami Whitcomb made three of Phoenix's 12 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Monique Akoa Makani had 10 points and six assists for the Mercury (5-2). Odyssey Sims led Los Angeles (2-6) with 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Plum was 4 of 19 from the field for 15 points, and Dearica Hamby had 15 points and eight boards. Los Angeles, which led 47-29 with 2:54 left before halftime, went 8 of 20 from 3-point range in the first half before missing all 15 attempts after the break. Up next Phoenix continues its road trip at Minnesota on Tuesday. Los Angeles is off until Friday when it plays at Dallas. ___ AP WNBA:
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a day ago
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Los Angeles hosts Phoenix following Sabally's 26-point game
Phoenix Mercury (4-2, 2-2 Western Conference) at Los Angeles Sparks (2-5, 1-4 Western Conference) Los Angeles; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Phoenix Mercury visits the Los Angeles Sparks after Satou Sabally scored 26 points in the Mercury's 74-71 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Advertisement Los Angeles finished 8-32 overall and 5-15 in Western Conference play a season ago. The Sparks allowed opponents to score 85.6 points per game and shoot 46.4% from the field last season. Phoenix finished 19-21 overall and 10-10 in Western Conference action during the 2024-25 season. The Mercury averaged 13.9 points off of turnovers, 9.2 second-chance points and 14.0 bench points last season. INJURIES: Sparks: Cameron Brink: out (knee), Rae Burrell: out (leg). Mercury: Kahleah Copper: out (knee), Natasha Mack: out (back). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
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a day ago
- Entertainment
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Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks: TV channel, time and how to watch Sunday's game
The WNBA regular season continues with the Phoenix Mercury visiting the Arena to face the Los Angeles Sparks in a must-see Sunday night game. The Sparks, who are determined to break a two-game losing streak, are coming off a 96-81 loss against the Las Vegas Aces. In that game, Kelsey Plum, in her first appearance in Las Vegas since a three-team trade, led the Sparks with an impressive 17 points. Odyssey Sims also made a significant contribution with 15 points, and Dearica Hamby added 14 points. Advertisement The Mercury, on the other hand, are looking to recover from a narrow 74-71 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. In that game, Satou Sabally's outstanding performance of 26 points and 11 rebounds, along with Kalani Brown's 15 points, fell short against the Lynx. Here is how to watch the Los Angeles Sparks take on the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday. More: Caitlin Clark has proven to be crucial to the WNBA, so her absence will be painful What time is Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks? The WNBA regular season game between the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. ET, with Sunday's game taking place at the Arena in Los Angeles, California. How to watch Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks WNBA game: TV, stream Time: 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT Location: Arena (Los Angeles, California) TV : Spectrum SportsNet (Local), Arizona's Family 3TV (Local) Stream: WNBA League Pass This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mercury vs. Sparks: How to watch WNBA game on Sunday
