LOS ANGELES — Defense created offense for the Sparks on Wednesday night, as the last-place team in the WNBA shocked the first-place New York Liberty, 94-88, for its first win in eight games.
Dearica Hamby had 21 points, Rickea Jackson had 19 and Rae Burrell added 18 off the bench as the Sparks (7-24) collected 12 steals on a night when the Liberty (26-6) turned the ball over 20 times, pushing the ball up the court on their way to an upset. Odyssey Sims added 14 points, a team-high seven assists and three steals for the Sparks.
Breanna Stewart scored 15 of her game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter for New York, which got 18 points and six assists from Sabrina Ionescu and 14 points and 10 rebounds from Nyara Sabally.
A free throw from Stewart cut the Sparks’ lead to 77-74 with 4:14 to play, but the hosts responded with a 10-0 run for an 87-74 lead with 1:41 remaining, and put the game away.
The Sparks’ win came almost two weeks after the Liberty throttled the Sparks by 35 points on the same Crypto.com Arena court, a defeat that left Sparks coach Curt Miller questioning his team’s pride.
Clearly, they took that message to heart and responded for their first win since a pre-Olympic break road win against the Dallas Wings on July 13.
Hamby (seven rebounds, five assists and three steals) and Jackson (7-for-11 shooting, 4 for 6 from 3-point range) anchored an inspired effort on the defensive side from the outset Wednesday as the Sparks opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter.
Jackson scored 11 points – including three 3-pointers in less than two minutes – during a 15-0 run that made it 24-10 late in the first. The No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft shot just 21% (15 for 71) from behind the arc through her first 28 WNBA games, but she has made 13 of 19 (68%) in her last three.
The Liberty finally found their rhythm. Stewart took advantage of a defensive breakdown to cut the lead to five, and the Sparks settled for a 46-39 advantage at halftime.
The Liberty scored seven unanswered points to start the third quarter and tie the score at 46-all. The Sparks, again, responded on the back of their defense. Hamby intercepted an Ionescu pass and found Stevens for a transition 3-pointer.
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Hamby had eight points in the third quarter, including a right-handed layup just before the buzzer. New York had taken a 63-62 lead, its second of the night, on an Ionescu 3-pointer from the right wing, but that was immediately answered by Jackson’s fourth 3-pointer of the night and Hamby’s basket.
Burrell shot 7 for 8 from the field (3 for 3 from behind the arc) and hit a number of timely shots. In the fourth quarter, after the Liberty cut the margin to one, she scored eight straight points. She finished a drive with a right-handed layup, then hit a quick-trigger 3-pointer before benefitting from a Stephanie Talbot offensive rebound to hit another 3-pointer.
Three minutes later, Burrell completed a 3-point play to tie her career-high point total. At that point, the Sparks led 82-74 and were able to hang on despite a late push from the Liberty.
The Sparks finished with a 17-4 advantage in fast-break points on a night when Ionescu struggled with her shot (7 for 21 overall, 3 for 14 from 3-point range).
More to come on this story.
