Sparks can’t keep up with Storm down the stretch in loss

LOS ANGELES — The result of these late-season games might not determine much about the Sparks’ fortunes, but they are crucial to the future of players such as forward Azura Stevens.

Stevens is under contract with the Sparks for 2025, but rookie forward Cameron Brink’s return from injury and the introduction of another top pick from the 2025 draft might impact her role. Therefore, she understands the importance of the guaranteed minutes she’s currently receiving, and how maximizing them is crucial as she builds toward next season.

“There’s still an opportunity to grow as a player in this league and prepare yourself for whatever opportunity is next,” Stevens said. “Just trying to focus on things I can control.”

She’s certainly played like the future of her career depends on these last two contests. On Wednesday night, she recorded her second double-double in as many games (and her fourth of the season), scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in a 90-82 loss to the Seattle Storm at Crypto.com Arena.

Rickea Jackson, who finished with a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds, scored eight in the fourth quarter, but the Storm (22-14) pulled away in the waning minutes to hand the Sparks (7-30) their sixth straight loss and their 13th in the past 14 games. The only other Spark who matched the intensity of Stevens and Jackson was Odyssey Sims, who had 16 points and six assists before departing the game late with a left hand injury. While Sims said she’ll be fine, her absence was felt as her assignment, Skylar Diggins-Smith (26 points, five assists), scored with 2:49 remaining to give the Storm a three-point advantage they never relented.

Sims, like Stevens, has a murky future. Except she doesn’t have the luxury of a guaranteed contract with the Sparks next season. She’s unsure of her future in Los Angeles, she said Wednesday, but she knows she’s “not done playing yet.”

That was evident Wednesday.

After allowing Seattle to construct a 18-2 run between the end of the second and beginning of the third quarter, Sims got the Sparks back on track. She set up Dearica Hamby (six points, eight rebounds) for an easy layup on a night when Hamby set a Sparks record for most single-season rebounds (341), passing Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie (336).

Sims, then, scored the next six points for the Sparks to cut their deficit to one. Diggins-Smith increased her ball pressure, in response, but Sims was prepared, rifling a pass to Stevens to tie the score at 60.

“Odyssey really ran us tonight,” Sparks head coach Curt Miller said. “She really stayed aggressive and played downhill.”

If only her defense had matched that.

As Sims put together a strong third quarter on the offensive side, Diggins-Smith torched her. She scored seven straight points, including a balancing-act fadeaway jump shot, on which Sims fouled her for a three-point play.

It was clear, though, when Sims left the contest, ailing, the Sparks missed her speed and facilitating ability.

In the first quarter, it was Sims who got Stevens going. The two ran pick-and-pop actions that afforded Stevens space for 3-point looks. She hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, adding a fourth in the second, celebrating her hot hand by flashing dueling 3-point finger-symbols.

“The way that they were playing defense and congesting the paint led to some opportunities for post players to shoot (from behind the arc),” Miller said. “Azura led us in that way.”

Her combined defensive rebounding statistics between Tuesday and Wednesday were comparable to those of Sparks legends Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Nneka Ogwumike. She joined WNBA stars Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart as players who have scored 15-plus points, grabbed 15-plus rebounds and hit four 3-pointers.

Despite those historic achievements, Stevens missed Sims’ presence in the waning moments. With three minutes remaining and the Sparks down one, she lofted a contested 3-pointer, rather than the open catch-and-shoot opportunities she had earlier in the game, and air-balled it.

Jackson was really the only Spark who matched the Storm’s late-game intensity. The Sparks have been intentional with increasing their 3-point shooting attempts, but Miller said, he can’t deny that Jackson, a back-to-the-basket scorer has been their most efficient form of offense, recently.

She scored in that way in the fourth quarter, but with Stevens unable to replicate the 3-point barrage she provided in the first half the Sparks couldn’t keep up.

While her wayward 3-point attempt might have been the Sparks’ final shout at a victory on Wednesday, her overall performance should lead to future opportunities to rewrite that miss.

In addition to Diggins-Smith, Gabby Williams scored 13 of her 17 points in the second quarter to lead Seattle, which stayed within one game of fourth-place Las Vegas (23-13) in the WNBA standings. Former Spark Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and eight rebounds for Seattle and moved into 11th place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. Ezi Magbegor added 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots for the Storm, who survived a poor shooting night (3 for 15 overall) from Jewel Loyd (12 points, five assists).

The teams will square off again Sunday in Seattle at 3 p.m.