Behind big games from Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson, the Sparks ended their season with a win in Minnesota.
The Sparks closed a tumultuous season on a high note on Thursday, earning a 68-51 win on the road against the Lynx to finish the year with an 8-32 record.
It was the Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson show with both players dominating. Hamby finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. She also overtook former Spark Nneka Ogwumike for most single-season points in franchise history. Jackson ended with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Kia Nurse connected on four 3-pointers for 12 points off the bench.
Hamby and Jackson started the scoring for Los Angeles with four straight points, all from the charity stripe. The turnovers affected both teams early on.
The Sparks extended their lead to seven after a reverse layup from Jackson. LA showed flashes of great defense, but Minnesota was finding different ways to score. At the end of the first, Los Angeles was up six.
Trap, Trap, Trap. @dearicamarie x #TheNewClassic pic.twitter.com/sNjYLFTDg0
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 20, 2024
The second frame began with Jackson’s second block of the game before she pushed the ball the other way for a 3-pointer. She then made another 3-pointer and was the second player on the team in double figures after Hamby.
The lead ballooned to 12 for the Sparks thanks to some excellent offensive play, including a three from Kia Nurse. LA’s defense was impressive as they kept making the Lynx work hard for their shots. Hamby and Jackson were shouldering the scoring for Los Angeles.
The Lynx were playing sloppy and the Sparks took full advantage, scoring 15 points off Minnesota’s 11 turnovers. LA was still up 10 as halftime approached, but the Lynx were slowly finding ways to cut the deficit.
Minnesota was in attack mode and drew plenty of fouls to cut the deficit down to eight at halftime.
Rickea getting in her three bag early. @iamthathooper x #TheNewClassic pic.twitter.com/pucv6Fe9mg
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 20, 2024
Los Angeles did not have a good start to the second half. Their shots weren’t falling because of turnovers and sloppy play. Minnesota’s defense was stronger, forcing the Sparks into two shot clock violations in a row.
Hamby stopped the drought with a layup to push the lead for LA up to nine. Jackson then connected with her third three of the game.
The Lynx started shifting the momentum in their favor with a 7-0 run that had them within five. Hamby converted on an and-1 to get LA back up by eight. After Minnesota had cut the deficit to six, a three by Stephanie Talbot gave the Sparks a lead of nine at the end of the third.
Spin cycle ft. Rickea. @iamthathooper x #TheNewClassic pic.twitter.com/6BZNajNhwM
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 20, 2024
Both teams started the final frame cold with their offense and again playing sloppy. Nothing was going well for either team until Courtney Williams was fouled from behind the arc and completed the four-point play.
The Sparks managed to keep their lead any time the Lynx made a strong push. A major 3-pointer from Rae Burrell helped LA extend their lead back to double digits. The Sparks suddenly found themselves up 15. Nurse had an impressive showing with two more 3-pointers that solidified the win.
Key Takeaways:
The Sparks showed a lot of fight and improvement throughout the season, but they still had consistent bad habits that gave them losses. Turnovers, scoring droughts and lackadaisical energy held them back from winning games.
Jackson had an excellent rookie season and will only get better in the future. A healthy full season for Cameron Brink will also do wonders for this team, especially defensively.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.