LAS VEGAS -- The 2-4 Sparks are back on the road.
But not that far, relatively speaking. They will play in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday night to take on a team that has some familiar faces to current Sparks players, the Aces.
When one thinks of the Las Vegas Aces (2-2), the brain goes immediately to one A’ja Wilson, who is on top top top. People know Wilson is a two-time WNBA champion, a three-time Most Valuable Player award winner, WNBA Finals MVP, the reigning scoring champion, a six-time all-star, two-time gold medalist… the awards and accolades are endless.
Wilson doesn’t do it alone for the Aces. Point Gawd Chelsea Gray, who was once a Los Angeles Spark herself, is considered by many to be the best point guard in the game, even when she had an injury-plagued 2024. Jackie Young is a dangerous shooter and so strong that she probably bench presses trees as a hobby.
The four Aces have a new face. In the trade that brought Kelsey Plum to the Sparks, Jewell Loyd landed in Las Vegas to take her spot. Loyd was the scoring champion in 2023 and a two-time WNBA champion herself (again, among many accolades). These four players are all Olympians so that top of the rotation is (and has been) formidable.
“Well, it’s a team sport,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said about the Aces. “They’ve got a bunch of Olympians and they’re a good team, right? So you just can’t say we’re gonna stop A’ja or we’re gonna stop Chelsea or whatever. I think we’ve gotta be really locked into our team defense principles.”
The Aces’ weakness, even when they were the defending champions, has been their depth. And that depth took another hit in the offseason. Alysha Clark has since returned to Seattle. Kate Martin was left unprotected and drafted by Golden State in the expansion draft. Sixth Player of the Year winner Tiffany Hayes would join Martin in the Bay Area. Sydney Colson bolted Vegas for Indianapolis.
To make matters worse, Megan Gustafson injured her left leg during training camp and is said to be out indefinitely. And also out is Cheyenne Parker-Tyus due to maternity leave.
As for who’s there, Kiah Stokes is still there to start in the middle. Liz Kitley is technically in her rookie year after sitting out 2024. Dana Evans was traded from the Sky for picks. Tiffany Mitchell has recovered from sepsis and is good to go. Kierstan Bell is hoping to increase her role. And Aaliyah Nye is a deadeye sniper that has a quick trigger.
As long as A’ja Wilson is there, the Aces always have a chance. Of course, it helps to have three other Olympians on the team but their playoff loss last season proved that they needed more.
The Sparks aren’t going to let them have it. Plum squashed the narrative that she has beef against the Aces but there’s nothing more satisfying than defeating old running mates. Another former Ace in Dearica Hamby has thrived against her former team; the Sparks defeated the Aces twice in Los Angeles in 2024. Those two and Azurá Stevens have formed quite a trio thus far.
“Just being able to own our one-on-one match-up, be able to defend who we’re guarding, and then also be able to help people out a little bit,” Sparks rookie guard Sarah Ashlee Barker said about defending the Aces. “You just can’t leave someone on an island defensively.”
Rebounding has been a big issue for the Sparks this season. They are last in rebounds per game and in the bottom three in rebound percentage.
“Rebounding is 90 percent effort and desire,” Coach Roberts said. “We talked about that in practice. If it’s a game of chances, and my whole philosophy is built on that where if we have more chances than the other team and we shoot better shots, we should win. So we’re averaging right now two less field goal attempts per game (Sparks are at 64.3 shots per game while opponents average 66.5 shots per) than our opponents but we’re shooting the same true shooting percentage.* So what does that tell you? That’s the difference between being 4-2 and 2-4.”
*True shooting percentage is an advanced stat that measures a player’s efficiency at shooting the ball. It accounts for free throws, two-point shots, and three-point shots.
“We’ve gotta limit their second chance opportunities,” Roberts emphasized. “I think we’re at 47 percent team rebounding. We’ve gotta get above 50. We just have to or we’re going to keep losing close games.”
However, going into Friday, the Sparks lead the league in three-point shooting percentage. Coach Roberts thinks there is progress being made from training camp to where they currently are.
“Our three-point attempts, 85 percent of them (actually at 83.9 percent) are assisted,” Roberts said. “I think just the ball movement’s getting better. The chemistry on the floor is getting better. They’re understanding to play together better.”
“Our biggest thing is also taking care of the ball,” Barker said. “We really need to execute our offense. We’re not gonna go in there and try to be someone we’re not. So as long as we can go in and play L.A. basketball, move the ball, shoot threes, get up and down really quick, and force them to take really really tough contested shots and just kinda throw a bunch out.”
“We just have to get to where it gets consistent for 40 minutes,” Roberts concluded. “We’ve got to eliminate those lapses.”
The Sparks will be without Rickea Jackson (personal reasons) but they have shown that they’re capable of a lot of firepower.
They just have to do it for 40 minutes. Especially against a still-terrifying Aces team.