It’s Over in New York Minute
The Sparks sent another message to the New York Liberty -- and the rest of the WNBA.
“This is our championship quest,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said. “The statement we sent today is anything that needs to be said or done is coming through L.A.”
Lisa Leslie had 25 points and eight rebounds as the two-time defending champion Sparks beat the Liberty, 67-60, Saturday, tying their WNBA record with nine straight wins to open the season.
In a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals in front of 14,021 fans at Madison Square Garden, the Sparks put the Liberty away in the final minutes after trailing much of the second half.
Leslie made one of two free throws to pull the Sparks to within 58-57 with three minutes 25 seconds remaining as the Liberty began to unravel.
Tamecka Dixon then made a turnaround jumper with 2:12 left, putting the Sparks ahead, 59-58, before Leslie secured the win.
Nikki Teasley found Leslie open under the basket for a layup with 53.4 seconds left, and on the baseline for a turnaround jumper with 17.9 seconds remaining.
The Sparks then broke into smiles and fist pumps as New York was forced to call a timeout trailing, 65-60.
The Sparks’ 9-0 start equaled their start in 2001. They have also won 18 straight dating to last season.
“I don’t think we could get complacent at this point,” Leslie said. “With the expansion draft the league has gotten a lot tougher. We have a big challenge ahead of us, but we are still hungry to win another championship.”
Teasley had 13 assists and 10 rebounds, and DeLisha Milton added 15 points for the Sparks.
Crystal Robinson scored 15 and Vickie Johnson had 14 for the Liberty (3-3), which shook off a horrible start and forced 15 turnovers that led to 22 points. Tari Phillips had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Liberty.
“We let it get away from us,” guard Becky Hammon said.
Hammon had led New York in scoring in three of its first five games but made only four of 10 shots for 11 points Saturday, settling for tough layups and scoop shots inside against the Sparks’ post players.
During one timeout, Cooper told his players to let Hammon shoot. “All she wants to do is shoot,” he told his team.
“The shots she took were trick shots,” Cooper said after the game. “Those are not the shots I would want her to take.”
The Sparks also matched the Liberty’s physical defense. Leslie played tough perimeter defense in the final minute, sending Robinson to the ground on a desperate three-point attempt that could have tied the score at 63.
“I’m puzzled,” said Teresa Weatherspoon, who played only 20 minutes and finished with only three assists and two rebounds and spent much of her court time trying to get the Liberty to set up properly. “It’s really just us. If we don’t get into the sets, it’s kind of hard. You have to make them play defense, and it didn’t happen.”
The Liberty finished the first half strong, using an 11-0 run, which included six points from Phillips, to take a 32-30 lead.