{"id":15586,"date":"2026-06-16T21:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T21:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15586"},"modified":"2026-06-16T21:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T21:31:41","slug":"sparks-know-defense-is-a-choice-versus-1st-place-lynx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15586","title":{"rendered":"Sparks know \u2018defense is a choice\u2019 versus 1st-place Lynx"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Sparks will look to get back into the win column when they take on the first-place Minnesota Lynx in a Commissioner\u2019s Cup finale Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15584\">2 Inland Empire men among those accused of plotting to attack UFC matches at White House<\/a><\/p>\n<p>After playing Minnesota, the Sparks will host third-place New York Liberty on Sunday, which will commemorate the league\u2019s 30th season between the historic franchises that played in the first WNBA game June 21, 1997.<\/p>\n<p>However, wins against the the league\u2019s upper-echelon teams have been fleeting this season. Only one of the Sparks\u2019 seven wins this season has come against a team with a winning record.<\/p>\n<p>The eighth-place Sparks (7-7 overall and 3-3 in Commissioner\u2019s Cup play) are coming off a 78-58 loss at Golden State on Monday, which ended a three-game win streak against Portland (7-9, 10th), Seattle (3-12, 14th) and Phoenix (4-11, 13th).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefense is a choice,\u201d Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said after the 20-point defeat. \u201cWe came out casual in the first quarter, we were down 15, and we were playing catch-up the whole time. To me, that\u2019s the story of the game. Whether that\u2019s 3-point defense or layups or whatever. It\u2019s all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All-Star guard Kelsey Plum is averaging 25 points per game, but was held to a season-low nine points (3 of 10 shooting) before fouling out amid the squad\u2019s overall poor shooting night.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15582\">Blanche set for July confirmation hearings for attorney general as Republicans weigh support<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Sparks made only 20 of 60 attempts (33%) from the field, including 3 of 21 (14%) from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n<p>Roberts did not have an in-depth explanation for her team\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think they played harder than we did,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n<p>Reserve guard Rae Burrell scored a team-high 13 points. Reserve forward Cameron Brink scored 10 points.<\/p>\n<p>None of the Sparks\u2019 starting lineup, which consisted of guards Erica Wheeler, Kelsey Plum and Ariel Atkins and forwards Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, scored more than nine points individually.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s things you can learn from every game,\u201d Hamby said. \u201cFor sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Lynx (11-3, 5-1) are coming off a 107-74 victory against the Portland Fire on Monday. They had seven players reach double figures in the scoring column, including all five starters: Natasha Howard (18 points), Courtney Williams (16 points), former Sparks forward Nia Coffey (15 points), Kayla McBride (14 points), and rookie of the year candidate Olivia Miles (12 points).<\/p>\n<p>The Sparks lost all four games to Minnesota last season. Wednesday\u2019s game will be the first of three regular-season matchups. The next two will be played July 15 and Aug. 6 in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15580\">JD Vance went on television to plug a faith memoir. \u2018The View\u2019 had other plans<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>MINNESOTA (11-3) AT SPARKS (7-7)<\/h4>\n<p><strong>When:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Wednesday<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where:<\/strong> Crypto.com Arena<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> Spectrum SportsNet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coach Lynne Roberts says the team &#8216;came out casual&#8217; in a 20-point road loss Monday against Golden State, which she said just played harder than her squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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