LOS ANGELES -- The Sparks (12-19) take on the Phoenix Mercury (12-22). But in this instance, the Sparks will be playing at Galen Center in the University of Southern California.
This game had a lot of intrigue. After all, both teams made a big trade with each other. The Sparks sent Kelsey Plum to the Mercury in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first round pick, and a 2028 second rounder.
It turns out that Plum will be out for this Tuesday game while Akoa Makani is listed as questionable. So Plum won't be able to take on her former team in her first return to L.A. since the trade occurred. The Sparks are 2-2 since the deal while the Mercury are 1-3.
The playoffs are blurry in both teams' view at this point so they gotta see what they have. And it's a little tough for both. Akoa Makani is under contract for next season but Plum is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Plum had mentioned that she was going to go through the full process of free agency so the Mercury have to show Plum why she should stay.
There are plenty of reasons to stay. Alyssa Thomas (who had a triple-double when they last visited L.A. on July 22nd) and Kahleah Copper are perennial all-stars. With Plum, they have a "big three" that they can call their own. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts also encourages three-pointers in his system and Plum could similarly thrive in that as she did under Lynne Roberts in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Sparks nearly came back to defeat the Valkyries on Sunday and did beat the Lynx last Thursday. As mentioned before, it's never been a question about talent but it's about playing 40 minutes.
"(Erica Wheeler) was saying it's the small things, especially when you're... everybody right now is in the thick of it in the season so when you're trying to put these games together, you really have to pay attention to those details," Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said after the loss against Golden State on Sunday. "I think a lot of those details showed up in that first quarter. I think we probably can all say that we would do that first quarter over but with a team like that, you absolutely can't have multiple quarters, even one quarter, playing that way."
Sparks were down, 29-15, against Valkyries after one and had to play catch-up the rest of the way. These slow starts have been a detriment and prevalent for the Sparks all season long.
"I think (Sunday) was kind of more of a mind over matter type of day," Ogwumike said. "I don't want to use the schedule as an excuse. As pros, like, I've been doing this a long time. There's always a point in the season when the schedule gets like this. And so I think today was a bit more mind over matter and it took us a little bit of time to kind of get into the game. But I am happy that we didn't just acquiesce to the results of the first quarter. So, yeah, you really just kind of have to get that focus and lock in, as E was telling us after the game."
Ogwumike continues to be steady, averaging 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per this season. After a bit of a slump, Dearica Hamby has also been consistent, scoring double figures in her last 17 games. Erica Wheeler has stayed relentless, averaging 14 points and seven assists in her last five games.
"So I just think that we just need to continue this momentum and playing together and stay connected," Wheeler said. "Throw that first quarter out. It's a different ball game and I think we just need to start how we played that fourth quarter. And things is different. If somebody in the team come in here and beat us and we played hard like that New York game (from July 28th), I felt like no team should have lost. If we playing like that, then pat them on the butt and keep it moving."
And they hope to keep that connection and momentum as they try to defeat the Mercury for the third time in their four match-ups this season.