LOS ANGELES, CA – To say the Los Angeles Sparks have been bitten by the injury bug would be an understatement.
(Video Courtesy of WNBA)
In a season that has already seen the loss of rookie Jasmine Walker for the season, the Sparks recently learned they will be without their star forward Nneka Ogwumike for the next four to six weeks after an MRI revealed a left knee sprain.
Her sister, Chiney Ogwumike, has already been dealing with right knee soreness and is considered week-to-week. She will be re-evaluated before the Sparks’ upcoming two-game road trip to Washington D.C. and Minnesota.
This will be the toughest stretch for the Sparks (3-3) who don’t have much depth in their front court as it is, and are now left with only eight healthy players on a nightly basis. Managing minutes must become a priority for head coach/GM Derek Fisher.
However, these injuries didn’t stop the Sparks from playing inspired basketball with those eight healthy players in a 98-63 rout over the Indiana Fever on Thursday night with five players scoring in double figures.
Clearly, Fisher won’t use injuries to key players as an excuse for his team to play poorly and wants to see if they can build on this impressive win.
“I think for us it’s continuing to build the right habits as a basketball team,” Fisher said. “Be committed to one another and playing for one another and not for yourself. That’s something that’s going to be really important as we navigate this situation.”
“There are not as many teammates to rely on,” Fisher continued. “The margin for error is smaller, the accountability and being able to look at each other in the eye and knowing your teammates are going to do the right things, make the right decisions…all of those things have to be elite in for us to just have a chance to win while we’re short-handed.”
Kristi Toliver, who scored a game-high 22 points, also spoke about her expectations while the team navigates through these injuries.
“We want to continue to compete at a high level, continue to defend at a high level,” Toliver said. “It’s certainly a staple and a pillar in our identity. Then offensively, continue to play unselfishly and take what the defense gives us. I think we’re going to be able to do certain things with certain lineups with who we have out there being smaller and continuing to play faster, continuing to keep a good pace.”
The Sparks will be forced to play with smaller lineups with the injuries to the Ogwumikes. For one night against the Fever, it worked, scoring 98 points. It will be interesting to see how they build on this win, and how this small-ball lineup will help them withstand these awful bites from the injury bug.
