Free fall continues for Sparks
The Sparks’ hoped-for fresh start was soured only by a maddeningly familiar and disheartening ending.
San Antonio forward Sophia Young scored underneath with 17.8 seconds left and the Sparks suffered a 63-61 loss, their seventh in a row and 11th in their last 13 games, in front of an announced crowd of 8,773 Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Young’s basket broke the last of five ties in the fourth quarter. She finished with 17 points.
“We really can’t afford to hang our heads now, because the season’s still on,” Sparks point guard Temeka Johnson said. “But it would’ve been better if we’d snuck out with a win, but I think we’re right there. Once we get in the mix of things, we’ll be fine. We all wanted to win, but I think we got it together, and I think we can grow from this.”
San Antonio guard Becky Hammon had game highs of 25 points and six assists in her second game back with the Silver Stars after being sidelined because of a sprained right foot.
“We lost her several times,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. “Our purpose was to limit her three-point attempts, but for some kind of reason, we’d either fall down, or we’d let her pop open for a three, and I don’t understand that.”
Hammon made five of eight three-point shots, but otherwise, the Sparks (7-13) played their most complete game since a 57-56 loss to Indiana on July 5. San Antonio (13-6) entered with the best record in the Western Conference.
“I just wanted us to play well,” Cooper said.
“Again, we played consistent basketball for 39 minutes and we just came up short again. We did a good job, we held them down and we had them on the ropes.”
The Sparks were aided by the return of Johnson, who played in only her second game of the season. Johnson underwent surgery on her right knee in February and suffered swelling in her first outing, a 74-71 overtime loss to Chicago on July 1, that had sidelined her since then.
“She knows what this league is about, and it’s good have her out there,” Cooper said.
Johnson was carried off the court with a cramp in her left leg with 49 seconds to go, but before that was a calming influence to the Sparks, who got eight points in the first quarter from forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin and held a 20-18 edge at the end of the quarter.
The advantage didn’t last as San Antonio took a 26-22 lead on the strength of outside shooting, including two baskets from three-point range. The Sparks battled back and led, 31-30, at intermission after a six-foot turnaround shot by McWilliams-Franklin and a drive through the lane by Marta Fernandez.
The Silver Stars, who have won five in a row and nine of 11, tried to take control in the third quarter behind Young and Hammon. Young scored nine of San Antonio’s first 11 points and Hammon also had nine as the two accounted for 18 of San Antonio’s 20 points in the quarter.
It was the Sparks’ sixth loss in a row at home and seventh in the last nine games at Staples Center. McWilliams-Franklin had 14 points.
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