The Los Angeles Sparks didn't just snap a three-game losing streak Wednesday night. They looked like a different team.
After allowing Seattle to beat them on their home turf on Monday, the Sparks responded with one of their most complete performances of the season, beating the Indiana Fever 106-92 behind a defensive effort that head coach Lynne Roberts said was more important than the final score itself.
"I'm obviously thrilled we won," Roberts said. "But I'm more happy with how we played."
That defensive intensity quickly turned into offense.
The Sparks forced turnovers, jumped passing lanes and pushed the pace whenever they had the opportunity, finishing with 27 fast-break points and 60 points in the paint. Roberts said the team's commitment on the defensive end made everything else easier.
"Offense is a lot easier when you're getting out in transition versus taking the ball out of the net," Roberts said. "We just played really, really hard. It wasn't one or two people playing hard. All five were out there connected."
That connected effort showed up immensely across the stat sheet.
Rae Burrell led the way with one of the best performances of her season, finishing with 22 points while continuing the aggressive play that's become a trend over the last several games. After struggling with her shooting against Seattle, Burrell said she wanted to respond.
"I didn't have a very good shooting night last game, so I knew I needed to bounce back today," Burrell said. "I was just trying to be aggressive. Win or lose, we wanted to fight and compete."
Dearica Hamby continued her steady production with 21 points, while Nneka Ogwumike added 24 as the trio combined for 67 of the Sparks' 106 points. More importantly, all three set the tone defensively, helping disrupt Indiana's rhythm throughout the night.
For Ogwumike, the change started long before tipoff.
"We wanted to play harder," she said. "We wanted to own each possession and compete at every level for the full 40 minutes. When you put your heart into playing that hard, the schemes, the plays, the execution, it comes to fruition."
The Sparks also received contributions throughout the rotation. Roberts praised Kiana Williams for organizing the offense and defending, Jihyun Park for creating extra possessions, and Emma Cannon for bringing energy off the bench, saying the box score didn't fully capture their impact.
The performance was exactly the response the Sparks were looking for after Monday's disappointing loss. Ogwumike and Burrell also credited Kelsey Plum for delivering a message the day before the game that resonated with the entire team.
"KP lit a fire under our asses," Burrell said with a smile. "We were ready to play after that."
For one night at least, the Sparks looked like the connected, aggressive team they've been searching for. Their defense created offense, their starters led the way, and the result was one of their most complete performances of the season.