The Los Angeles Sparks’ penultimate game of the season ended in a tough 89-79 loss to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on the road Tuesday. It was a struggle from the jump, with LA never leading after the opening minutes and trailing by double digits for almost the entire game, save for a brief push in the third quarter.
First Quarter Fizzle and a Mountain to Climb
Erica Wheeler gave the Sparks an early spark with a triple, but that was pretty much it for momentum. Stephanie Talbot was cooking for Las Vegas, dropping six of their first 15 points. The Sparks’ offense just couldn’t get going, leading to a brutal 13-0 run by the Aces that opened up a 10-point lead and forced a Sparks timeout. Both teams then got sloppy with turnovers and missed shots until A’ja Wilson chipped in six points in the paint for the Aces. LA wrapped the first quarter shooting a miserable 25% from the field and a freezing 16% from behind the arc. Rae Burrell was trying to keep them in it, leading the Sparks with six points, but at the buzzer, they were down by 13.
Momentary Push, Not Enough Punch
The second period kicked off with Mai Yamamoto draining a three for Las Vegas, immediately countering Wheeler’s jumper on the other end. LA desperately tried to build some offensive consistency. Jihyun Park got the first bench points for the Sparks, but by the 5:50 mark, the deficit was still 14. Vegas was shooting a hot 40% from deep, while LA was stuck at 20%. Wheeler, who only had three points in the first, then went on a quick four-point run. Nneka Ogwumike followed with a layup, and you could feel LA trying to chip away. The threes weren’t falling, but they did bump their field goal percentage to 46% for the quarter. The Sparks even went on an 11-0 scoring run, showing some real fight! Jewel Loyd finally stopped the bleeding for the Aces with a triple. Wheeler ended the half with 13 points, but even with the push, LA still trailed by nine at halftime.
Third Quarter Slip and Vegas Pulls Away
Nneka Ogwumike started the third with a pair of free throws, hitting double figures with 10 points shortly after. Tonie Morgan also continued to impress off the bench, pushing her total to 10 points. LA was playing better, shooting 40% in the quarter, but the Aces were even hotter at 50%. Vegas scored five straight early on, and by the 3:49 mark, they were up by 10 again. Then came the dagger: the Aces surged, draining three triples in a row to really put the game out of reach.
With only one game left in their season, the Sparks have to figure out how to stop these late-game collapses. Can they find a way to finish with a win, or will this tough loss set the tone for the offseason?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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