Mabika Shows Way for Sparks
It was a crazy, wild, off-balance shot, and most everyone in the building Saturday had the same thought as the Sparks’ Mwadi Mabika launched the 23-footer with 7.8 seconds remaining in regulation:
“No way.”
Way.
Mabika herself entertained no such negative thoughts when she let it go. And, almost unbelievably, the three-point shot went in, without touching iron. The Sparks, down 16 points in the first half, had forced an overtime period with the New York Liberty.
From there, the Sparks won, 75-72, before 6,896 at the Great Western Forum.
Never in doubt, Mabika said, of her well-guarded, twisting fadeaway.
“I just wanted to shoot it, I was confident,” she said. “I was off-balance, yeah, but I jumped high. I felt comfortable.”
It wasn’t the best game the Sparks have played this season, but their inspired second-half comeback may have created the most exciting home game in the club’s three seasons.
The Sparks (13-6) have won four of five and 10 of 12 to move within two games of Houston in the Western Conference. New York (10-8) fell into a tie for the Eastern Conference lead with Detroit.
The crowd, although small in number, made plenty of noise when the Sparks, trailing 26-10 early and 35-25 at the half, launched a stirring comeback one minute into the second half, when guard Gordana Grubin made a three-pointer.
Mabika scored on a breakaway, and when Tamecka Dixon made two three-point shots within 51 seconds and the Sparks trailed, 38-36, the crowd was in the game for the first time.
Lisa Leslie, who had 22 points, gave the Sparks their first lead since 2-0 when she made two free throws to make it 64-62 at the start of overtime.
The Sparks had to survive a sensational finish by New York’s Crystal Robinson.
She made two three-point shots in the final 56 seconds of regulation, and two more in the last 28 seconds of overtime.
For Spark Coach Orlando Woolridge, Mabika’s shot to end regulation was vindication of his freedom directive.
“Mwadi has my complete confidence,” he said. “It was an incredible shot, and I wanted her to take it. When a player feels that freedom to shoot, she’s more comfortable with a tough shot.”
New York Coach Richie Adubato chalked it up to luck.
“It’s basketball--sometimes you’re unlucky,” he said. “We had two people hanging all over Mabika on that shot, we did what we had to do . . . and the shot went in.”
He saluted Robinson, who was seven for 14 on three-pointers and had a game-high 23 points.
“Crystal is as good in the clutch as any NBA player I ever saw,” said Adubato, a head coach of three NBA teams and who spent 19 years in the league as a head coach and assistant.
Mabika, seconds after her dramatic three, made a big defensive play down low on Robinson, who missed a shot with seconds left. Mabika leaped high and swatted the rebound to midcourt, out of harm’s way, creating overtime.
Leslie scored the Sparks’ first five overtime points and her basket inside with a minute left made it 72-64.
New York’s Teresa Weatherspoon, the WNBA steals leader, scored just two points but had 12 assists and four steals.