LOS ANGELES, CA – There wasn’t much that went right for the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night against the Chicago Sky at Crypto.com Arena. Candace Parker was well on her way to a triple-double by halftime, while barely breaking a sweat.
Although the Sparks would have likely lost the game no matter who was in the rotation, it seemed like having Chennedy Carter active would at least create some ball movement, especially when paired with Jordin Canada. However, Carter was on the bench the entire game. Of course, that was a decision made by Interim head coach Fred Williams. Before the game, Carter posted “5 signs of depression” to her Instagram story. It’s impossible to tell if it was related, but definitely cause for concern.
The most frustrating thing about the game is the postgame comments. We are still hearing, “there is plenty of time left.” Is there though?
Plenty of time to do what?
The team isn’t planning on doing any chemistry-building activities until the All-Star break. Liz Cambage, who has been working through health issues, is not at full speed. The Sparks are rotating players in and out so much that it’s difficult for players to find consistency and cohesiveness on the floor and they are making “decisions” too late in the game.
The biggest surprise of the night was Parker, the former Sparks legend. Somehow I expected her to single-handedly beat the breaks off the Sparks in some sort of vengeance game. Instead, she was effortlessly great or as Brittney Sykes calls her, “a human 2K player!”
Parker put up 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Sparks making her the first player in WNBA history to record three career triple-doubles. She did it fittingly in her former home of 13 years through three quarters. It’s no wonder the fans still love Goat Parker. We were all thinking it, the biggest problem the Sparks have is they didn’t hold on to Candace Parker.
The Sparks face the Seattle Storm (11-6) on Saturday night on the road and return to Crypto.com Arena to face the Las Vegas Aces (13-3) on Monday, June 27th.
This road is not going to get any easier for the Sparks who currently sit in 9th place with a 6-10 record. There are just 20 games left in the regular season. There is not a lot of time left to turn things around.
