Aces' win streak ends in loss at Sparks

When it comes to where each team stands, the Aces and the Sparks couldn’t be farther apart. And yet, the Sparks have been the biggest thorn in champs' side this season.

The Aces six-game win streak came to an end at the Sparks hands on Friday night, as they fell in a 98-93 overtime loss at the grounds formerly known as the Staples Center. 

It was the second win for the Sparks over the two-time defending champions in as many attempts, coming nearly a month after LA erased a 14-0 deficit en route to a 96-94 victory on June 9. Ironically, that was also the last Sparks win before Friday night.

"I don't think it's necessarily matchups," A'ja Wilson said. "I think it's honestly just the 'try hard' factor. They just came out and wanted us, essentially, and we just didn't get the job done.

"But when we're talking about matchups, when we're talking about going bar for bar, player for player. I don't honestly think that there's an issue there. It's just the try hard. People want to come out and kick our ass."

The loss was of no fault to Wilson, who shot 13 of 23 from the field just two games removed from a 13-of-22 performance against the Fever. On Friday, it resulted in a 35-point outing for the runaway MVP front-runner, who also had 12 rebounds. 

There wasn’t much help from her supporting cast. Kelsey Plum was the next highest scorer for the Aces with 21 points. Plum led all Las Vegas starters at +4 (plus/minus) for the game in 40 minutes of action. Wilson was -5 in 41 minutes, which was still significantly better than the -18 and -17 posted by Kiah Stokes and Chelsea Gray respectively. 

It was a rough outing for Gray, whose return has been the driving force behind the Aces sudden turnaround.

"(Chelsea's) still finding her legs," Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "She had open looks, that's what I'm concerned with. That she's taking. Her looks were good, she missed them that's the way it goes."

Strangely enough, Kate Martin actually led all Aces in plus/minus at +17. This was largely because of her role in the Aces’ fourth-quarter rally after they trailed 70-60 to enter the final quarter.

"I didn't see the intensity that I wanted to see," Hammon said. "I'm just not gonna watch it, so I sent a message with (the second unit) and I put (them) in a really tough spot and they did great.

"The level of try hard factor wasn't where it needed to be at and it really wasn't there until the fourth quarter."

A 25-12 second quarter advantage for the Sparks in the second quarter ended up being the biggest difference for them in the win. The Aces either tied or outscored them in each of the other three quarters in regulation before the Sparks secured the win with a 14-9 overtime advantage. 

Former Aces forward Dearica Hamby continued to torch her former team after a highly publicized, unceremonious exit from the team following the 2022 season. This one was a 28-point, 14-rebound outing for Hamby, who’s been enjoying the fruits of her best professional season.

The loss pushes the Aces' record to 12-7. Is it an ideal place to be nearly 20 games into the season? No, not exactly. But it’s a much better place than they were in after their last loss to the Sparks in June. (5-4).

They’ll next play at 12:30 p.m. Sunday against the struggling Dallas Wings at Michelob Ultra Arena in a game scheduled for ESPN.