Leslie Watches, but Sparks Still Win Their 11th in Row
Lisa Leslie may be the best player in the WNBA. But Spark Coach Michael Cooper likes to insist that the Sparks are not a one-woman team.
On Wednesday, for one day at least, the Sparks proved Cooper correct with an 80-78 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs before 11,819 at Staples Center.
Leslie sat out the game to rest an injured right knee, but that didn’t keep the Sparks (20-3) from registering their 11th consecutive victory, one shy of the franchise record and four short of the league record. They also increased their Western Conference lead over idle Houston to 4 1/2 games.
“Again, I think we have a talented enough team where we can miss one of our key people and still be productive,” Cooper said. “If we play hard, do what we can do offensively and defensively, we give ourselves a chance to win.”
To compensate for the 19.2 points and 9.7 rebounds Leslie normally provides, other Sparks increased their contributions. Mwadi Mabika nearly doubled her 9.6-points average with 18. Latasha Byears (9.6 average), DeLisha Milton (10.7) and Ukari Figgs (7.3) each had 15. Byears, who started in place of Leslie, also had a game-high 16 rebounds for her third double-double.
That, along with a 35-31 rebound advantage (and in spite of going eight for 18 at the free-throw line), neutralized the four Monarchs who scored in double figures, including the game’s leading scorer, Kedra Holland-Corn, who had 21.
About the only thing the Sparks did not do without Leslie was control the game. They stretched their 36-30 halftime lead to 46-36, but the Monarchs came back to tie the score, 58-58, and went ahead, 61-60, on Edna Campbell’s 21-foot basket with 8:10 left.
The Sparks regrouped and went on a 10-0 run, of which Figgs scored five points. Sacramento (13-10) made one last charge and got within 80-78 before fouling Tamecka Dixon with 4.5 seconds left. The Spark guard missed both free throws, but Figgs stole the ball from Campbell in the last seconds to secure the victory.
“When we learned Lisa wasn’t playing, no one was in here crying, ‘Oh what are we gonna do now?’ ” said Milton, who played the last 10 minutes of the game with five fouls. “We know when Lisa’s in the game she demands a lot of attention. But when she’s out, we still can come out victorious. That says a lot about this team. With or without her, we feel we’re going to win.
“But we prefer to do it with her.”
Leslie--who had missed only two WNBA games in her career, the last July 25, 1998 against Detroit--hyperextended her right knee after colliding with Seattle guard Jamie Redd in Saturday’s game.
She practiced and scrimmaged with the team Tuesday. But when examined by team physician Stephen Lombardo before the game, Leslie was told to sit out because of stiffness and swelling around the injury.
Leslie had started 98 consecutive games before Wednesday.
From Cooper’s perspective, if the Sparks had to lose Leslie for a brief time, let it be now rather than the playoffs.
“I’m not one to force a player to play if they are injured,” Cooper said. “I know she would go out there if we let her. But this makes more sense to lose her maybe one game. And it’s a chance for some other key people we’re going to need later on to get some big minutes.”
Merlakia Jones made a 15-foot shot and Ann Wauters made two free throws for the only points in overtime to give the Cleveland Rockers their 16th consecutive home victory, a 52-48 decision over the Miami Sol before 13,387.