LOS ANGELES — The Sparks will begin a three-game homestand, highlighted by their third matchup of the season against the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.
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The Sparks are 4-4 overall but only 1-3 at home. They were briefly one game above .500 after a 92-87 road victory over Washington on May 29, for the first time in more than a year, since starting last season 1-0.
However, they were defeated 84-81 by the last-place Connecticut Sun on May 30, in the second away game on back-to-back nights.
“I think we’ve got to grow,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “We’re not even 25% of the way through the season. I feel like I try to be very process-driven. I think offensively, we can be really good and when we’re not all connected, we can be pretty poor. That’s on me. I have to figure it out in terms of how to put these guys in situations where we’re able to execute against pressure.”
Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson leads Las Vegas (5-3), averaging 24.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game.
The Sparks are 1-1 against the Aces this season. They beat them 101-95 on the road on May 23 and suffered a 105-78 loss to tip off the season on May 10.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum scored a season-high 38 points in her current team’s triumph over her former team. However, Plum, who is averaging a league-high 26.8 points per game, is expected to miss the contest as she wraps up her week-long recovery from an ankle sprain that she suffered during practice on May 26. She has missed the last two games and did not travel on the trip.
All-Star forwards Nneka Ogwumike (17.0 points and 7.9 rebounds) and Dearica Hamby (15.7 points and 6.7 rebounds) are the other Sparks currently averaging double figures in the scoring column. Ariel Atkins (9.3 points), Cameron Brink (9.3 points), Rae Burrell (9.0 points) and Erica Wheeler (8.4 points) round out the rest of the team’s major scoring options.
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After Tuesday’s game, the Sparks will not play the Aces again until Sept. 22, which is the penultimate game of the regular season.
They will host the Dallas Wings on Friday and the Portland Fire, one of the league’s two new expansion teams, on Sunday.
The Sparks went 3-1 on the team’s first road trip of the season, picking up wins against Phoenix, Las Vegas and Washington before losing to Connecticut.
“We weren’t very connected and on the same page,” Roberts said. “Defensively, we didn’t disrupt much. Let them get their stuff. Maybe that’s because we were tired. Well, if we’re going to give in to that, then we’re going to have a long, up and down season.”
Burrell, who was inserted back into the starting lineup because of Plum’s injury, scored a season-high 16 points and grabbed five rebounds against Connecticut.
“I think we let the refs, and how they came out, speed us up and get us a little disconnected,” Burrell said. “I think just sticking together and sticking to the game plan and just executing that is what is going to get us through these tough games.”
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LAS VEGAS (5-3) AT SPARKS (4-4)
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: Spectrum Sportsnet