LA Sparks 2024 Olympic Recap: Dearica Hamby, Team USA win in 3x3 play

Finally, there were some victories for the Los Angeles Sparks players participating in the Olympics, with Dearica Hamby and Team USA winning in 3x3 and Stephanie Talbot helping Australia defeat Canada.

With the Los Angeles Sparks’ Kia Nurse, Stephanie Talbot, Li Yueru and Dearica Hamby all participating in the Olympic games, we’ll be covering how the women are doing in Paris daily.

Here’s today’s recap of the action.

Team Canada and Team Australia 5x5

With Canada playing Australia on Thursday, we had a battle for L.A. happening during the game. Nurse was on the Canadian side and Talbot was playing for the Aussies.

Both teams were winless heading into the contest, but Australia came out on top, beating Canada 70-65.

Talbot had her best game of the Olympics so far, scoring 11 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dealing out six assists. She was part of a balanced attack that included five Australians scoring in double figures. She also had the most rebounds in the game.

Nurse struggled shooting 21% from the field. She failed to convert on her 3-point shots and went 0-4 from deep. Even so, she found ways to make an impact and was one of the reasons Canada never folded.

With 91 seconds left in the game, Nurse scored seven consecutive points and assisted on a 3-pointer to try and pull off the late comeback. Canada fell short, but they gave Australia a run for their money.

Both teams will play next on Saturday. Nurse and Canada will compete against Nigeria at 4:30 a.m. PT, followed by Talbot and Australia versus France at 12:00 p.m. PT.

Team USA 3x3

With 3x3 games being just ten minutes long and the teams needing to play seven games, there are some doubleheaders on the schedule. Team USA split their pair of games on Thursday, losing to Australia and defeating Spain.

In the first game, Hamby led Team USA with six rebounds and four points. Rhyne Howard led the team in scoring with 8 points, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. Australia pulled away in the final 60 seconds thanks to some clutch shooting and some careless turnovers by the Americans.

Their second matchup on Thursday against Spain resulted in Team USA’s first win in 3x3 play this tournament, winning 17-11. LeBron James was among those in attendance for this matchup, giving Team USA some much-needed good luck.

Hamby had a modest game, scoring three points and grabbing one rebound.

Team USA got off to a much better start, leading 4-1 after three minutes of play. Spain settled down and took an 11-10 lead thanks to a two-point shot by Juana Camilion. The Americans shut them down from there on out going on a 7-0 run to finally put a win on the board.

3x3 action will continue for Team USA on Friday with another pair of games. They’ll face France at 4 a.m. PT and then compete against Canada at 10 a.m. PT.

If they win those games, they’ll still have a chance to qualify for the next round of games.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.