Sparks Missing Too Much

As opening games go, the Sparks have had better ones.

Although no one will judge a season on one game -- even a 90-67 loss to Seattle at KeyArena on Sunday night -- there was plenty for the Sparks to ponder.

To start with, they hope that Chamique Holdsclaw returns soon. The 6-foot-2 forward, who was their leading scorer in 2005, left the team early last week with permission to handle a family matter. She is expected to rejoin the team in North Carolina for its game Tuesday against the Charlotte Sting.

Her absence was roundly felt in the starting lineup. Lisa Leslie had 24 points before fouling out with 4:08 left in the game, and Mwadi Mabika had 19.

But the other starters -- Jessica Moore, Temeka Johnson and Tamara Moore -- combined for four points. And Johnson had all four.

The Sparks had some other issues to work through too. The Storm (1-0), which never trailed, shot 52.7%, had a 41-35 overall edge in rebounding and forced 20 Sparks turnovers.

“The one thing I didn’t like was our [post players] didn’t finish,” Coach Joe Bryant said. “A couple of times we were bumped off our moves. We were bumping on them, but they would finish the play.”

Seattle had four starters in double figures, led by Lauren Jackson’s 23 points.

But the player who seemed to hurt the Sparks most was Wendy Palmer.

The veteran forward, who was in the Storm lineup because of a shoulder injury to Janelle Burse, had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

“The wild card for them tonight was Wendy,” Bryant said. “For her to get 18 and 12, that’s really the difference in the game. Betty Lennox, Sue Bird, Jackson, we kind of kept them at bay. But Palmer put an old-school lesson upon us.”

The Storm doesn’t have the pressure of defending a 2004 league title the way it did last season, and Coach Anne Donovan is expecting a different approach from her players.

“I think we’re very focused and very confident,” Donovan said before the game. “We feel stronger, we feel better, we feel more seasoned.

“Last year we had hunger to prove that we could still survive with the loss of Kamila [Vodichkova], Sheri Sam and Tully Bevilaqua. But it wasn’t the same kind of hunger that comes with confidence that we have this year.”

Bryant appeared to be auditioning his entire roster to find a temporary replacement for Holdsclaw -- or at least a hot hand.

Mabika, who has been fighting quadriceps injuries the last two seasons, was looking comfortable shooting from the perimeter, with 12 points in the first half. Leslie had seven and Doneeka Hodges-Lewis, who finished with 10 points, came off the bench to score eight before halftime.

But even with Jackson on the bench with foul trouble, the Storm built a 41-32 halftime lead. And when the third quarter started, the Sparks were scoreless in their first seven possessions while Seattle scored 10 consecutive points.

That was more than enough cushion. The Sparks, who shot 34.4%, never got closer than 13 points. Leslie did not sound discouraged afterward, pointing out that the Sparks were trying to blend in seven new players.

“I’m glad that we have a much more athletic team,” she said. “We played hard, fought hard. There are certain things we have to work on -- transition defense, help defense.

“I’m still optimistic. We have a lot of good players. Everybody is working hard and we’re together. When you have that, that’s a huge step already.”