LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Sparks may have thought it caught Tina Charles on a rare off night by the result of her first two attempts. That wasn’t the case, as Charles made her next nine field goals and established a paint presence to which the Sparks had no answer.
Los Angeles lost 80-62 to the Dream, behind Charles 23 points and 10 rebounds. Charles was 11 of 15 from the field, and recorded her fifth double-double in the last six games. She has 14 on the season, the fifth most of any WNBA player.
On Sunday, her brilliance kept Atlanta (11-21) alive in the playoff race, while the Sparks (7-25) dropped their eighth game in the last nine contests, following a win over the New York Liberty, which now appears more like a mirage.
Li Yueru came off the bench to lead Los Angeles with 14 points.
The Dream started the game on a 9-0 run, forcing the Sparks to burn a timeout. They increased that lead to double-digits out of the break and the Sparks cut the margin below 10 just once.
In the first quarter, Charles cut from block to block, sealing her defender, catching her teammates’ entry passes and turning for simple layups. It was clear she had the hot hand, so Atlanta continued feeding it.
Charles established a motive of playing with her back to the basket. The Sparks began to anticipate that and Charles adjusted, taking advantage of what the defense gave her. She knocked down three 15-foot jumpers as Atlanta increased its lead to 12 points.
Rhyne Howard added a trio of 3-pointers, her third coming at the end of the first quarter to give Atlanta a 25-12 lead. Howard had 19 points, and was 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
The Sparks cut the lead to single digits on the back of a five-point run from substitute Kia Nurse. Rookie forward Rickea Jackson ignited Nurse’s offense when she stripped the ball from Laeticia Amihere, which led to a fast-break layup. The following play, Nurse hit a left-wing 3 off Jackson’s pass.
Atlanta head coach Tanisha Wright continued to author sets for Charles. She added an 18-foot jumper and a right-handed hook shot in the second quarter. Her streak of made field goals was broken at nine, but even on that play she made an impact. She grabbed her miss and kicked it out to Howard, who hit her fourth 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining in the first half.
While no stretch matched Charles’s first quarter burst, she drew the Sparks’ attention and opened space for her teammates.
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The Dream led 46-30 at halftime and increased their advantage to 26 on the back of a pair of triples from Allisha Gray.
After scoring just three points in the opening five minutes of the second half, Stephanie Talbot stopped the bleeding with a layup. The Sparks began to show glimpses of life, similar to the ones that were present throughout Wednesday’s win against New York.
Odyssey Sims pushed the pace, finding Nurse for a 3 and Rae Burrell for a transition layup to make the score 68-55. Atlanta called a timeout and regained a hold of the pace, increasing its lead back to 18 points by the end.
