BOSTON -- It was another one of those days for the Sparks. And as of late, these days happen way too often for the team.
The Sun, in front of over 16,000 people in TD Garden at Boston, jumped on the Sparks early and never trailed throughout the whole contest. Connecticut led by as many as 21 points and a late run by Los Angeles made the final score respectable. The Sun defeated the Sparks, 85-77.
Los Angeles has lost their last five games.
"I think we turned it over," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said about where it got away from them. "The first and the third were not good on either ends. But they had 21 points off of turnovers. Felt like we just we didn't execute very well."
Players talked about staying cool during a season that has not turned out the way they thought it was going to be.
"You don't really have a choice. I think at the end of the day, we all have to understand there's a bigger picture," Sparks guard Ariel Atkins said. "That's kind of what I've been hanging my head on. I haven't been the player that I want to be this season and so I can't be too down on myself and also can't be too down on my team. The goal is continue to push through and find a way to fight. And that's what we're going to do every day."
"I try to take every day one at a time," Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said. "I like to be as consistent as I can. I don't feel like I benefit from like being too high or being too low. So I just stay prepared. It's not just me, you know, there's a lot being asked of all of us but I also realize what my role is for us to be able to stay in games. So I try to focus as much on that while also facilitating for the team."
Atkins also talked about using her voice in this up and down season.
"Truthfully, it's been hard because I haven't played the way that I wanted to play," Atkins said. "But I think at the end of the day, we all have experience in that locker room. Everybody has experience for something. And being one of the older players, I think it's important to have steady voices in the locker room. And for me, it's really a growth point for me. It's something that my team asks for me all the time is to speak up more and to use my voice more. It's just something that you have to do and always be a steady person. But at the end of the day, I think my actions speak louder than my words. I think that's the biggest part when it comes to leadership for me personally."
The bad things that have plagued the Sparks showed up big in Boston. They went 2 for 16 (.125) from behind the arc. They got down big (21) that they had to scratch and claw back into the game. They had untimely turnovers (16 total) that led to points from the other team. And transition defense was not great yet again; the Sun scored 23 fastbreak points.
With nine games to go, the Sparks hope to end the season on a good note. It's plain to see that the team never expected to be in this position but the reality is that they are. The road trip ended up being a bust and they'll attempt to once again break the skid when they go on this huge four-game home stand before the World Cup break comes at the end of the month.
For the Sun (9-25), Olivia Nelson-Ododa was a problem all game for the Sparks; she finished with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. Kennedy Burke used a huge third quarter to get to 17 points. Leila Lacan had 10 assists to go with her seven points.
Rae Burrell led the Sparks in scoring once again with 19 points to go along with a career-high-tying six assists. Ogwumike finished with 18 points while Dearica Hamby scored 15.
The Sparks (12-23) go back home to Los Angeles for the next four. Up first on the guest list is the Atlanta Dream. L.A. will do their best to play spoiler and finally snap that slide of theirs.