The Sparks and Mercury teetered and tottered, but Phoenix pulled away late to hand Los Angeles an 86-82 loss on Wednesday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena in the two teams’ final game before a much-needed All-Star break.
With the game tied at 60 entering the fourth quarter, Phoenix scored consecutive baskets and never trailed again. Forward Alyssa Thomas dominated with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists, while guard Kahleah Copper poured in 21 points to lead the Mercury precisely as Sparks coach Lynne Roberts expected pregame.
“Players like [Thomas] and [Copper] … can both take over games,” Roberts said before the game. “Last time we played them, Copper had 41 … she is an absolute talent. I think they run good stuff. I like what [Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts] does.”
Forward Dearica Hamby anchored the Sparks with 18, scoring her team’s first seven points, and forward Rae Burrell — after starting 0-for-5 shooting finished with 20.
Both the Sparks and Mercury needed this win badly. The Sparks, who are still without Kelsey Plum (lower leg), entered having lost four consecutive road games by single digits. Phoenix entered having lost five of its last six.
“We just got to finish games,” Roberts said pregame, adding, “[The Mercury] just have had a hard time getting those wins … like us.”
Sparks guard Kiana Williams played seven minutes with what Roberts called “a really bad thumb injury that she’s just kind of toughing through.”
Cameron Brink scored five points over 19 minutes in her fourth game back from an ankle injury suffered on June 15 that sidelined the Sparks forward for a month.
“Yeah, she still is on a minutes restriction, but we’re getting near the end of that, which is great,” Roberts said pregame. “She’s just going to continue to get stronger on that ankle and her minutes will increase, and her role will continue to grow.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: latimes.com
