LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles Sparks’ 80-68 loss against the first-place Chicago Sky (18-6) on Thursday night left Sparks fans with a lot of questions.
On Tuesday, after the loss to the Washington Mystics, Sparks guard Brittney Sykes said the next few games against teams who are seeded higher, would be like playoff games. Now that the Sparks (10-14) are on a three-game losing streak, what does that mean for the team’s postseason chances?
A more immediate question, how could the Sparks lose to the Chicago Sky when Candace Parker didn’t score a single point?
The Sparks had their own injuries to contend with. Center Liz Cambage was out for health and safety protocols. Nneka Ogwumike returned, but by her own admission was a little winded. Nonetheless, she scored 16 points and reached the 5,000 point milestone becoming the third player in Sparks history to accomplish such a feat joining Parker and Lisa Leslie.
Still, there are only 12 games left in the season and the Sparks have yet to establish their identity. Ogwumike, however, says she is going to continue to lead with grace, which means allowing her teammates to make mistakes.
The road to the playoffs is getting shorter and time is running out, and the Sparks will need more than grace to secure their spot in the postseason.
