Wings complete comeback to steal win over the Sparks

The losing streak goes to seven as the Sparks collapse with a loss to the Dallas Wings.

The Sparks added to their growing losing streak in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday, blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead to the Dallas Wings, falling 113-110.

It was the Rickea Jackson and Odyssey Sims show as both players had strong performances. Jackson had a new career-high 25 points with three rebounds and four assists. Sims had her best game as a Spark with 26 points and 10 assists.

Dearica Hamby had a stellar game with 21 points, three rebounds and five assists. Azurá Stevens pitched in with 15 points, three assists, and two blocks. Kia Nurse had seven points and two assists.

Jackson got off to a fantastic start, scoring eight straight points for LA to start the game with Crystal Dangerfield assisting on all those field goals. The Wings cut the deficit to four, but the Sparks were cooking and extended their lead to eight. Jackson continued flourishing through the quarter, knocking down all four of her attempts from behind the arc.

Behind her, the Sparks were up 26-13 at the end of the first.

The Sparks' dominance continued into the second period, extending their lead to 16. The Wings chipped away at that margin, led by Arike Ogunbowale, and pulled within six. Sims was a major spark for LA by attacking the basket. She was the first one off the bench in double figures.

Dallas kept getting closer, but Los Angeles found the answers to sustain their lead and momentum. Throughout the quarter, the Sparks maintained the lead as the Wings kept trying to steal momentum.

At halftime, the visitors were up 55-45.

The second half saw Jackson and Sims continue their incredible play for Los Angeles. Both players were the offensive leaders for the Sparks in this game. The Wings had their moments of fighting and trying to establish their offense, but LA had the answers each time.

Los Angeles extended their lead to 18, which was their largest of the game. As a team, the Sparks were shooting an impressive 57% from behind the arc, which was a major reason they were up all game. The Sparks led by 19 at the end of the third.

The final period began with the Wings starting to chip away to cut the deficit to 13. Li Yueru had a slow start offensively but was finding her shot and was up to a solid eight points off the bench. The centers for both teams were battling hard in the paint.

Hamby extended the lead to 13 after the Wings kept trying to push some momentum for themselves. Dallas continued to struggle defensively, which was big for Los Angeles for their offense. The lead was down to 11 with three minutes left.

Something we’ve seen far too often this season, the Sparks started losing steam with the game on the line and found themselves up only two with 1:04 left. Dallas was suddenly playing much better defensively and putting the pressure on Los Angeles. It was a tied game with 38 seconds left.

The Wings took the lead with 7.4 seconds left after an excellent effort by Teairra McCowan. Stephanie Talbot was fouled with 2.6 left in the game but split the free throws. LA fouled Natasha Howard, who made both her free throws to put the Wings up three with 2.5 left.

The Sparks’ last play was a 3-point attempt by Hamby that fell short.

Key Takeaways:

Jackson deserves a lot of respect for her growth throughout this season. She’s delivered and often, like in this game, dominated. She is one of the best rookies from this rookie class.

Sims was an offensive machine for the Sparks. She showed why she’s a tremendous player and deserves a spot on a team.

The tanking continues for the young Sparks, who had this game in the bag but once again lost steam and couldn’t get the win.

The Sparks’ next game will be against the New York Liberty on Wednesday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.