MINNEAPOLIS – In a game that didn’t feel as close as even the final score indicated, a thin Sparks squad fell to 4-7 Saturday after a 101-78 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
L.A. was pelted with a barrage of threes–nine alone in the first half–and were unable to contain four-time All-Star Napheesa Collier, who shot 81% from the field and finished with 32 points. Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 20 points and four assists, and rising star Rickea Jackson, coming off a career-high 30 points against the Aces, added 18 points and 5 rebounds.
The loss eliminated the Sparks from the Commissioner’s Cup–finishing with a 2-3 record.
Adding to the list of unavailable players–including Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink, Sparks starting point guard Odyssey Sims missed the game for personal reasons, and vet Julie Allemand was called up to the Belgian National Team for an international tournament.
Just hours before the game the Sparks signed Shey Peddy, who last played WNBA ball in 2023, to a rest-of-season hardship contract.
Peddy had 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in seven minutes of playing time.
Minnesota (10-1) led by as many as 35 points in the contest and forced 20 Sparks turnovers.
Napheesa Collier can't miss in the 1Q 🤯
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 14, 2025
She's shooting 6-7 FG, 2-3 from behind the arc!
📺 CBS | WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase pic.twitter.com/jx6G39IScs
Though admitting the team has plenty to work on, head coach Lynne Roberts has remained steadfast in her optimism.
“I’m not a ‘sound the alarm’, ‘freak-out’ type of coach,” Roberts said post-game.
“You just keep focusing on what you’re doing well and build on that, and then work on the little things you’ve got to get better at. I know it’s cliché, but it really is just one day at a time. I’m very process driven. We are playing for September.”
“We are trending in the right direction,” Jackson echoed, “We know we’re rebuilding, but I feel like we are truly trending in the right direction.”
Though it was too little too late, the Sparks won the second half 52-43, a positive sign as the team returns home to host the Seattle Storm on Tuesday.
“We want to keep getting better and peak at the right time,” Roberts continued, “and when we get to full strength, I think it’s going to help us a little bit. But I love the guys that we have now, and they are playing their (expletive) off.”