Fernandez steps up to lead Sparks, 74-66
Rudy Fernandez is a talented basketball player from Spain who is projected as a possible first-round pick in today’s NBA draft.
And his big sister is pretty good, too.
Marta Fernandez established a career high with 26 points and also had three assists to lead the Sparks to a 74-66 victory over Sacramento in front of an announced 7,857 Wednesday night at Staples Center.
“He’s very good,” Fernandez said of her brother. “Tomorrow, we all watch on TV, and when the draft is done, I call him.”
Fernandez, a 25-year-old rookie from Spain who was signed as a free agent in February after playing three seasons in her homeland, played a large part in turning an extreme makeover of the Sparks’ starting lineup into a resounding success.
With forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin, the team’s top scorer and rebounder, sitting on the bench in street clothes because of tendinitis in her right hamstring, and the Sparks having lost four of their previous five games, Coach Michael Cooper gave guards Sherill Baker and Sidney Spencer and forward Jessica Moore their first starts this season.
“I’m very happy for the game,” Fernandez said, who spoke with the help of an interpreter. “It was good for me, and good for the team.”
With a younger trio replacing veterans McWilliams-Franklin, forward LaToya Thomas and guard Mwadi Mabika to open the game, the Sparks were quicker and more energetic, and the remix worked to the Sparks’ advantage on defense for most of the game.
“It was a very well-played game,” Cooper said. “With some young legs out there, it was the difference.”
Although Fernandez was in the spotlight, each of the Sparks’ new starters had her moments, with Baker taking over point-guard responsibilities from Fernandez and finishing with seven points, three assists and three steals, and Moore taking advantage of opportunities inside for 10 points and five rebounds.
The Sparks (7-6) also got 15 points and 11 rebounds from center Christi Thomas, who took up the slack for McWilliams-Franklin.
Sacramento (10-5) cut an 18-point, third-quarter deficit to 67-62 with 2 minutes 14 seconds to play before Moore scored with an assist from Mabika to put the Sparks ahead, 69-62. After a basket on a dribble drive by Sacramento’s Chelsea Newton, Fernandez made one of two free throws, Mabika made two free throws and Moore scored the Sparks’ final basket to seal the victory.
The victory was the Sparks’ second over the Monarchs in five days after they had rallied from a 21-point third-quarter to win, 96-88, in double overtime Friday.