Sparks lose a tough one against the Liberty, drop fifth in a row

With Cameron Brink out, the Sparks continue to struggle, losing on the road against the New York Liberty on Thursday.

The Sparks dropped a tough one on Thursday in their first game without Cameron Brink, losing 93-80 to the New York Liberty. LA fell behind by as many as 19 points before battling all the way back to make it a two-possession game in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get over the hump.

Dearica Hamby played a slow game, scoring nine points with 11 rebounds and an assist. Kia Nurse ended with seven points and an assist and steal.

Rickea Jackson started strong but ended the game with just six points. Aari McDonald continued to shine in her new starting role, scoring 15 points on 6-12 shooting from the field.

Stephanie Talbot was big off the bench with nine points and 11 rebounds. Rae Burrell chipped in with 11 points. Zia Cooke also provided a spark off the bench, scoring 13 points. As a whole, the Sparks bench scored 40 points.

With Cameron Brink out for the season, Li Yueru started in her place and scored three points with two rebounds and two assists.

Nurse scored five straight points to open the game for LA while New York struggled to score. The Sparks' attack was balanced, with four of the starting five scoring early.

The Liberty began to get going, with Sabrina Ionescu tying the game after LA had gone up by as much as six. New York then grabbed the lead by two after a floater by Kayla Thornton. That was followed by a three-point play from Ionescu, which extended their lead to five.

The Sparks held on to cut the deficit to two at the end of the first.

The Sparks tied the game to start the second frame. Although New York started slow in the first, they were much more consistent with their scoring throughout the rest of the half and retook the lead.

Both teams exchanged buckets, as neither team could jump ahead. LA defended well despite missing its main defensive anchor Brink. The Liberty had jumped ahead by five, but a three by LA cut the deficit to two.

A 3-pointer by Inoescu and a midrange jumper by Breanna Stewart extended New York’s lead to seven at halftime.

Yueru, who struggled in the first half, knocked down a 3-pointer to start the third. Unfortunately, the Liberty responded with a 7-0 run, extending their lead to 12, the biggest of the night.

A 9-2 Sparks run trimmed the Liberty’s lead to five forcing them to take a timeout. A three by Jonquel Jones cut some of the bleeding for New York. Both teams began to trade baskets but the Liberty jumped ahead by double digits once more.

Los Angeles was losing steam and the Liberty took all the momentum for a 9-0 scoring run and a 15-point lead. At the end of the third, Liberty led 73-56.

The Sparks started the final frame on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 12. They would have to play a strong defensive quarter to attempt a comeback to steal a win. New York’s lead dropped to five with LA on a 15-3 run.

Stewart stopped some of the Sparks’ momentum by drilling a 3-pointer. The Sparks were missing key free throws that would’ve helped them continue to cut into the Liberty’s lead. They knocked down a three to push their lead to nine with 1:51 left in the game.

Ionescu drilled a 3-pointer that felt like the dagger to the hearts of Los Angeles. Five more points by the Liberty put a complete stop to the attempted comeback by the Sparks.

Key Takeaways:

The double-digit turnovers continue for the Sparks who can’t seem to make them end.

The rest of the season will be tough to handle without their defensive anchor Brink, and Thursday night’s game showed how rough it will be as they couldn’t defend the paint, letting the Liberty score 38.

LA’s bench scoring is still incredible, but the starting lineup needs to put in extra work to keep it all balanced.

The Sparks’ next contest will be Saturday against the New York Liberty at 12:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.