LOS ANGELES, CA – What should have been an anxiety-free win for the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, ended with a fourth-quarter nail-biter. Natasha Cloud was at the line for the Washington Mystics with 10.2 seconds left in the game, and there was no reason to believe the woman who put the league on notice that she was now a shooter, would not deliver three free throws to tie the game. But, she didn’t and the Sparks pulled out a much needed 84-82 win at home in Crypto Arena.
There were some of the same issues we’ve seen in the past. Liz Cambage fouled out of the game. The team could have been better defensively, especially since the Mystics were without forward Elena Della Donne. But we finally have a game where we don’t have to focus on what went wrong, instead we can talk about the subtle things that went right that could have easily gone unnoticed.
It seems odd to say that people haven’t noticed the intentional, maximum effort of Nneka Ogwumike. If you focus on her long enough, you’ll think she is calling on her inner Thanos saying, “Fine!! I’ll do it myself!” With 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, three steals and a block, she kind of did. It’s no wonder that Coach Fred Williams said Ogwumike is the league’s “hidden secret.”
But, her secret isn’t just how she plays at full throttle All-Star level every second she is on the floor. Her secret is how she makes everyone around her better. From trying to keep Cambage focused when she is in foul trouble, to asking her sister Chiney Ogwumike “why are you guarding her like that,” when she sees something she doesn’t like, to taking a young rookie like Olivia Nelson-Ododa under her wing.
Before the start of the game, Nneka took time to coach Ododa one on one. This was not the first time, as Ododa embraces learning from vets. The stat sheet does not tell the story of the game Ododa had on Tuesday night. She went 3-5 from the field for six points and had 1 block and 2 rebounds in 13 minutes of play. But she was engaged and intentional on every single play, just as much as Nneka Oguwimike is. Tuesday’s game gave a glimpse into the future that is Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Ogwumike gave Odada praise as well saying, “She wants to learn. You can tell she wants to be in this league. You don’t find a lot of rookies like that anymore.”
Whatever the Sparks did to pull together as a team to win on Tuesday, they are going to have to level up even more to get a win on Thursday against the Chicago Sky. While the Sparks came close to letting the game against the Mystics slip away, the Chicago Sky came back from a 28-point deficit – the largest deficit in WNBA history – to beat the best team in the league, the Las Vegas Aces. Plus, former Sparks forward Candace Parker is preparing to return to an arena that fans would prefer she was still playing in. One way or another, this is going to be a great game. Anxiety and all.
