The Sparks lost to the Mystics 95-86 on the road on Sunday, hurting their chances of making the postseason.
Los Angeles nearly came back late to pull off the win, but Washington stayed in front and completed the upset. The Mystics dominated the entire game, shooting 59% from the field. They also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Sparks 35-15.
Despite the defeat, the Sparks had some solid individual performances.
Dearica Hamby did everything she could to help the team. She had 26 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Kelsey Plum ended the game with 25 points and six assists and Rickea Jackson scored 17 points on 6-17 shooting.
LA struggled early on, shooting 30% from the field midway through the opening quarter. Washington, on the other hand, didn’t have any trouble scoring. They converted on half of their shots during the first five minutes, holding a five-point edge.
Rae Burrell entered the game and immediately made an impact, going on her own 5-0 run. The Mystics countered those buckets with their own field goals and were still in front 23-18 at the end of the first.
The second quarter didn’t start well for the Sparks. The Mystics made back-to-back threes and their advantage ballooned to double figures. LA’s offense was simply non-existent during the minutes Julie Allemand was off the floor.
Allemand was subbed back in with 7:38 to go in the second quarter, and the Sparks started rolling. Hamby and Stevens scored consecutive baskets and after a Jackson 3-pointer, Los Angeles was back in business.
However, the Mystics’ offense never slowed during the first half. Shakira Austin was driving to the lane with ease and Jade Melbourne scored five straight points to keep Washington up by 12 with 2:12 to go in the second quarter.
The Sparks couldn’t close the gap against the Mystics and trailed 53-41 at the half.
The beginning of the third quarter didn’t fare much better for Los Angeles. Washington was able to get any look they wanted, and when they did miss a shot, they were able to get the rebound.
Hamby did her best to keep the Sparks in it. She had 18 points midway through the third, leading the team in scoring. During the closing minutes of the period, the trio of Plum, Stevens, and Jackson scored to get LA back within single digits, but Sonia Citron hit a 3-pointer for the Mystics to keep them up by double figures to start the fourth quarter.
The Sparks needed to go on a run to have any chance of winning this game, and Plum took action. She scored six consecutive points for LA, giving them a puncher’s chance at a comeback.
Hamby continued to dominate, scoring eight straight points for the Sparks, putting LA back within striking distance.
However, the Mystics never trailed in this game and were able to exchange baskets with the Sparks during the closing minutes to cruise to victory.
If the Sparks can’t play better defense, they will not make the playoffs. This was an opportunity to win and jump up to the eighth and final postseason spot, and LA blew it.
Given the tightness of the playoff race and the limited number of games left, dropping any winnable games could be the difference between advancing beyond the regular season or not.
The Sparks need to be sharper the rest of the way, or else this season will be more about what they didn’t accomplish instead of what they did.
The Sparks’ next game will be on Wednesday against the Wings at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.