LOS ANGELES -- It seemed like every 30 seconds, there was a whistle blown.
In a game bogged down by fouls called and free throws shot, the Sparks never got into a rhythm as the Tempo defeated them, 106-96. The final count on fouls and free throws? 59 combined fouls and 72 combined free throws shot. It was like watching a free throw shooting contest.
"Yeah, that was ugly," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said. "That was hard to watch. 72 free throws? I get it; they're trying to clean it up but it's painful. So it is hard. I think Toronto went five minutes in the third quarter without attempting the field goal because they were just shooting free throws. It's amazing. Not saying we weren't fouling or what, it's just... it's ugly. So, to answer your question, it's very challenging."
So many starts and stops. Coach talks about the flow of the game. Q by @FlyByKnite pic.twitter.com/BsngSlThEf
— Rey-Rey (@TheNoLookPass) May 18, 2026
The Sparks got the deficit down to six with about four and a half minutes to go. But that was as close as they got as Brittney Sykes, who had a career-high in points, shut it all down with a lay-up.
"So we've got two options. We can feel sorry for ourselves or we can fix it. And that's part of the process," Roberts said about the sense of urgency within the team. "There's not a lack of belief in the locker room. There's not a lack of buy-in to each other and what we're trying to do. So that gives me confidence. We're missing Ariel (Atkins). That's a big piece. We talk about shooting and all those things and defending. She's one of the best on-ball defenders and we miss that. I mean, (Brittney) Sykes had... what did she have? 97?"
After the media said 38, Roberts continued.
"Yeah, we miss that defender out there. It's a long season, but we need to have a sense of urgency now."
Kate Martin, who was signed as a developmental player, played her second game in a row and was part of the team that tried to make a late run. She was happy to be playing again and reunited with her old Aces veteran, Kelsey Plum.
"It felt good (being out there)," Martin said, who scored 11 points. "I appreciate the team for welcoming me, making it an easy transition for me. But keeping the main thing, the main thing, (we) want to win. I don't really care how many points I score. You know, we just want to win."
"Yeah, Kate was awesome," Plum added. "I think she's had amazing energy. She's a super smart player. So to come in and kind of get thrown into the fire, you know, expect a lot more of her. I think she can be super impactful for us. And I'm excited to play with Money Martin again."
How did it feel for Kate Martin to score her first points as a Spark? And how did Kelsey feel reuniting with Martin? Q by @johnwdavis pic.twitter.com/qmxcuau5gV
— Rey-Rey (@TheNoLookPass) May 18, 2026
The three-point shot betrayed the Sparks again; they went 7 for 23 (.304). The Tempo were better at 9 for 24 (.375). The Sparks had 32 of the 59 fouls called in the game while the Tempo shot 42 of the 72 free throws shot. The players and coaches will not use the officials as an excuse but it felt a bit egregious out there. It was almost like the entire arena watched a free throw shooting contest.
As mentioned earlier, Sykes led the Tempo with a career-high 38 points (in case the readers were wondering, she went 15 for 15 from the line). Kiki Rice's first start was huge for Toronto; she scored 19 points and had five rebounds. As for the Sparks, they were led by Kelsey Plum with 28 points and seven assists. Her running mate, Dearica Hamby, scored 21 points. The team did have 26 assists but, again, with the constant whistles, the team had a hard time getting into the right flow.
The Sparks went 1-3 in their home stand. And it's not going to get easier as they take on the finalists from last year, the Phoenix Mercury. But they will get three days off. Rest always does a team good.