Ending leaves Sparks at a loss
First, the Sparks lost star center Lisa Leslie to maternity leave. Then, they lost guard Temeka Johnson to injury and forward Chamique Holdsclaw to retirement.
On Monday night, they lost another game too, but not until Detroit guard Katie Smith scored seven consecutive points and the Shock sank six free throws in a row down the stretch to pull away for a 79-73 victory in a hard-fought game in front of an announced crowd of 7,520 at Staples Center.
“It’s all about heart,” said Sparks forward LaToya Thomas. “It would’ve been a great win, but we’re going to go on from here.”
The Sparks refused to lose their poise and rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit before falling in the final 2 1/2 minutes to the defending WNBA champion Shock (8-1), which hadn’t beaten the Sparks in Los Angeles since 1999.
“We fought back, but they’re the champs,” Thomas said. “You’ve got to give it them. They had a run, we had our run, and then they had one more run.”
The Sparks (5-4), who came in having won eight consecutive home games dating to last season, nonetheless were unable to find their comfort zone until the third quarter.
A poor first half, in which the Sparks made only 13 of 38 shots (34.2%), left them trailing, 48-33, after a three-point basket by Smith with 1:04 to go.
Consecutive baskets by Murriel Page pulled the Sparks to within 48-37 at halftime and they erased that deficit with a 16-4 run to start the third quarter.
The outburst, which gave the Sparks their first lead since they were up, 7-6, was keyed by Thomas and Mwadi Mabika, who had five points apiece in the run. Mabika ended the run with a three-point basket for a 53-52 edge with 5:06 left in the period.
Detroit responded and the teams were tied 58-58 before a three-pointer by Smith put the Shock ahead, 61-58, with just under two minutes left in the period.
The Sparks regained the lead, 62-61, by the end of the period.
It was close throughout the final period until Detroit finally overcame a 70-68 deficit with seven straight points by Smith, who finished with a team-leading 18 to help offset the absence of forward Cheryl Ford (knee).
“Every good team has some people that they count on,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. “That’s what we’re looking for. It’s a shame to lose, because we could’ve won -- but we also could’ve been blown out.”
In the first half, it looked as if they might be after LaToya Thomas, Marta Fernandez and Christi Thomas got into foul trouble.
LaToya Thomas finished with 19 points, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 17 points and 11 rebounds.