CONNECTICUT – After a four game winning streak coming out of the Olympic break, the Los Angeles Sparks appeared to be back on the right track. They had a healthy squad, they were finally winning close games, and the playoffs not only seemed like a possibility but an opportunity to clinch a higher seed.
On the other hand, one could make the argument the Sparks took care of business against lowly opponents in the easy part of their schedule. Now after streaking in one direction, LA found themselves reeling the other way with three straight losses including two against the first place Connecticut Sun this past weekend.
Worse than that, the Sparks were again short-handed without Chiney Ogwumike (right knee) and Kristi Toliver (left hand). Both missed significant time in the first half of the season and have seemingly gotten bit by the injury bug again with the severity of these respective injuries unknown for now.
Even after a tough week amidst their extended road trip, the Sparks (10-16) still continued to play great defense which kept them competitive against the Sun. As a team, LA forced 35 turnovers in the two games in Connecticut, a legitimate championship contender.
The Sparks’ defense ranks second in the league in points allowed at 78.6 per game. The problem was the Sun are first allowing only 71.1 points per game and turned the Sparks over 32 times in the two games. Unfortunately, LA couldn’t outlast Connecticut in a defensive battle, but the defensive intensity and effort hasn’t wavered no matter what adversity this team faces.
Head coach/GM Derek Fisher believes the defense has been the one area this team can hang their hat on every night.
“Considering different players in and out of the lineup at different times, the one constant has been our ability to defend and disrupt teams and create turnovers,” Fisher said after Saturday’s loss. “That doesn’t require talent, that’s effort, that’s toughness, that’s mindset.”
“Even though at times we’ve missed talent on the floor with different players out, we’ve tried to make sure we’re building habits in terms of our mindset on the defensive end has continued to pay off,” Fisher continued.
While the offense has been spotty at times throughout the season, the Sparks’ defense has given them a shot to consistently win games.
“Defense is something we can control, so we focus on things we can control throughout the game,” guard Te’a Cooper said. “Defense is always something that we put all our effort in, so that’s what we focus on and that’s something that can change the game. We take (a lot of) pride in that.”
With only six games remaining and four of them being on the road, the Sparks will need to lean on their defense to give them a shot at the WNBA playoffs. Currently, they are half a game behind the New York Liberty for the 8th seed and will be battling them, the Washington Mystics, and Dallas Wings for one of those final playoff spots.
Nothing has come easy for the Sparks in 2021. Between the injuries to key players, a difficult schedule, stars like Nneka Ogwumike not getting many whistles from the officials, and a shaky offense, LA needs their defense now more than ever to keep playoff hope alive.
