Sparks rout the Storm, 74-50, with balanced attack

It seemed as if the Sparks were doing well, but they hadn’t yet undergone the ultimate battle test.

It came on a cloudy Father’s Day evening, in the form of 6-foot-5 center Lauren Jackson and the defending champion Seattle Storm.

The upshot? Western Conference, watch out. The Sparks won, 74-50, breathing a real sense of excitement into a crowd of 9,119 at Staples Center.

After all, the Sparks (3-1) had just crushed a team that didn’t lose a playoff game last season, while snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Storm (2-2).

“This game told a lot about what kind of team we are,” said Sparks Coach Jennifer Gillom.

What kind of a team is that?

The Sparks led by as many as 19 points in the first half. Jackson was so discombobulated that she settled for hurling three-point attempts — making only one of six. Candace Parker and Ebony Hoffman made their way into the paint for multiple uncontested layups. And on one play, Parker botched an attempt at a flashy behind-the-head pass, recovered the ball, and made an open inside jump shot.

The Sparks outshot the Storm, 49.2% to 30.3%, and forced 21 turnovers.

Even more impressive was that Parker, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Tina Thompson combined for only 24 of the team’s points.

Parker, who had 10 points, was quick to point out that she played only 26 minutes. “It was lovely,” she said with a broad smile.

Three of the Sparks’ top scorers came off the bench.

Hoffman (12 points) and rookie Jantel Lavender (10) each had season highs, and Kristi Toliver added 11 points.

“We’re 11 deep,” Gillom said of her bench, which outscored Seattle’s reserves 40-7.

Perhaps they’re even deeper than that.

Hoffman’s father, Floyd, gave his daughter an assist in the third quarter after she thought she was fouled by Sue Bird and complained her way to a technical.

He whistled.

“He’ll whistle when he wants me to do more,” said Hoffman, who interpreted the noise as a call for more playing and less talking.

Thompson also had a few words with Hoffman, firmly whispering from the bench to the still-steaming forward.

Her advice was to “pay them back by scoring on the other end,” Hoffman said.

It worked.

Hoffman, who has been averaging 5.3 points, refocused and converted a three-point play on the next possession. Then she closed the third quarter with a soft layup, sending her teammates charging onto the court at the buzzer.

“She has been capable of doing that from the get-go,” Parker said of Hoffman.

The Sparks play the New York Liberty at home Tuesday before beginning a grueling stretch — 11 of their next 13 games are on the road.

Gillom doesn’t seem too worried.

“This game showed we are capable of playing anyone, anybody, at any time,” she said. “And when we play together as a team, I’m telling you, we are going to be tough to stop.”

melissa.rohlin@latimes.com