LA Sparks narrowly lose to Chicago Sky in physicality battle

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky walked into the Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA Saturday afternoon following lopsided losses earlier in the week. The first-place Liberty dominated the Sparks on Thursday night by 35 points, and the Sky suffered a 20-point loss against the Mercury.

While seeing the crowd decked out in purple and gold isn’t unusual, this afternoon featured a star with a different connection to the iconic color combination. Angel Reese, once known as the “Bayou Barbie,” donned purple and gold during her years at LSU. Now, she prefers “Chi Barbie” in her pro era.

Chicago is a scrappy and gritty team with players like Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Chennedy Carter.  This matchup would test the Sparks physically, which LA head coach Curt Miller mentioned ahead of the game. Also, the Sparks remain short-handed as Aari McDonald, Lexie Brown and Cameron Brink remain out due to injuries. In addition, Layshia Clarendon was out for personal reasons.

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The game was physical from beginning to end, with the Sparks leading 46-42 at the half. This changed in the third quarter when Sparks’ forward Stephanie Talbot got hot and the Sparks were up by 10 going into the fourth.

For those who came to see the “Battle of the Rookies,” Cardoso, Reese and LA’s Rickea Jackson all shined in their respective ways. See their stats below:

• Angel Reese: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block

• Kamilla Cardoso: 15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists

• Rickea Jackson: 13 points, 5 bounds, 1 assist

With about four and a half minutes left, the game was tied at 79 points.

Despite five Sparks players ending in double figures – Azura Stevens had 10, Kia Nurse, Crystal Dangerfield finished with 16, and Stephanie Talbot had 13 – they lost 90-86.

After the game, Miller discussed guard Odyssey Sims playing 16 points after flying into LA at 2 a.m. to join the team.

“Odyssey doesn’t know one play call that we have. You know, we’ve tried real quickly to get her up to speed, but she’s a pro. And I knew she could defend and she could facilitate, regardless of systematically,” Miller said. “She’s a pro and I knew what potentially she could give us. And I’ve coached Odyssey before and I have confidence in her.”

The Sparks now face the second game of back-to-back in Las Vegas Aces Sunday.

“You just gotta have a quick, forgetful memory, like you’ve just gotta move on to the next and just keep pushing. It’s honestly hard. People don’t speak about it, but it’s just like, you know, losing and then going to go play one of the best teams in the league. But I feel like we’re up for the challenge and we’re going to continue to work on the things we need to work on,” Jackson said.

Saturday’s game was sold out, and Jackson also made sure to thank the home crowd.

“I feel like they were amazing. I just love that they continue to come out and support us. They just show up for us and I just love them so much. And I just ask you to support us. We’re going to keep working hard for y’all. You know? We’re very grateful to have them,” she added.