Sparks overwhelmed by league-best Lynx

The Sparks had a nice start against the Lynx, but Minnesota quickly reminded them why they are the best team in the WNBA.

A fast start and frantic finish from the Sparks sandwiched dominance from the Lynx as Minnesota knocked off the Sparks at home on Thursday, 91-82.

Individually, only a few Sparks had good performances. All-Star Kelsey Plum had a strong showing, ending the game with 17 points on 4-7 shooting from the field.

Newest acquisition Julie Vanloo had a great game as well. She ended the night with 15 points on five made 3-pointers.

While this result is a bad one for Los Angeles, it is not a surprise. Minnesota has the best record in the WNBA and the MVP frontrunner in Napheesa Collier, who had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

The Lynx got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 7-2 run. Los Angeles couldn’t make a basket from deep, beginning 1-6 from deep.

However, the shots suddenly started falling for the Sparks. Rickea Jackson, Julie Allemand and Plum all made threes and L.A. had a 13-7 edge midway through the opening quarter.

After a Minnesota timeout, the onslaught from Los Angeles continued. Allemand converted on a layup and after three free throws from Plum, the Sparks’ advantage reached double figures.

A team as talented as the Lynx weren’t going to remain cold even for a single period.

Napheesa Collier began dominating inside the paint and dishing the ball to Natisha Hiedeman, who scored seven quick points. After another Hiedeman make, the Lynx regained the lead. That edge was short-lived, though, as a Hamby finger roll and another pair of free throws by Plum gave the Sparks the lead back.

Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve didn’t do her team any favors by arguing with the officials, which earned her a technical foul. Plum converted on the awarded free throw, and L.A. ended the opening quarter ahead 26-22.

The start of the second period was similar to the first with Minnesota scoring and Los Angeles helpless to stop it. The Lynx scored eight unanswered until Vanloo ended the run with a three.

Unfortunately, the onslaught continued as Minnesota continued to force turnovers, grab rebounds and score at will inside the paint. Midway through the quarter the Lynx were outscoring the Sparks 22-8.

Both teams exchanged baskets the rest of the way, giving the Lynx a 10-point edge at the half.

The miscues continued for Los Angeles in the third quarter. A poor pass by Azurá Stevens led to another Lynx fastbreak. Kayla McBride finally got on the board for Minnesota, making a 3-pointer to give the Lynx a 57-44 edge.

Plum scored the next five points for the Sparks, trying to keep them in the game. The Lynx had no problem keeping control of the game as they got baskets from Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams and their MVP, Collier.

With L.A. unable to score or stop Minnesota from putting points on the board, things quickly got out of hand. Collier scored inside on a mismatch over Allemand to give the Lynx a 20-point lead, their largest of the night.

Hiedeman scored another layup, giving her a new season-high with 18 points and counting. Emma Cannon and Vanloo gave the Sparks some signs of life with their back-to-back 3-pointers, but L.A. trailed 80-59 as the fourth quarter began.

Vanlo tried to kick-start L.A. with another three once the fourth was underway. Jackson made two free throws, and after a Hamby basket and another field goal by Jackson, it was a 9-0 run by the Sparks.

Smith gave the Lynx their first points of the fourth quarter, and Williams added another layup to cool the Sparks’ comeback.

Vanlo kept the hope alive, making another 3-pointer to pull L.A. within single digits.

Smith responded with a three of her own and with 3:42 left to play, hopes of a win for the Sparks were quickly fading.

Hamby, who had struggled all night, scored inside, but Bridget Carleton scored 15 feet out to keep the Lynx ahead by a dozen. Jessica Shepard scored inside over Allemand, making it a 14-point lead for the Lynx, essentially ending the game with 90 seconds left.

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts certainly agreed with this sentiment as she emptied her bench.

Key Takeaways:

Los Angeles was unable to take care of the ball, couldn’t grab a rebound and only Plum could reliably score.

With Minnesota on a mission to win the WNBA championship, this level of play isn’t going to be good enough to beat the Lynx, even on the second night of a back-to-back.

Right now, the Sparks simply aren’t good enough to beat the league’s best teams.

The Sparks are relatively healthy now with only Cameron Brink out, so the “wait till we get healthy excuse” is invalid.

Los Angeles will have a couple of days off before they play the 3-16 Connecticut Sun on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. PT.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.