Los Angeles has a tough task in front of them on Tuesday, taking on a very good Phoenix team at home.
The Mercury are currently a top-four WNBA team with a 22-14 record. They also have an MVP-level player on their team in Alyssa Thomas, and have won both contests so far against the Sparks.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Sparks vs. Phoenix Mercury
Watch: Spectrum SportsNet
Beating the Mercury will be a challenge for the Sparks. Thomas is as dominant as ever and has six triple-doubles and counting this season, including one in Phoenix’s last game against the Valkyries.
Her dominance, along with the Sparks’ defensive rating of 109, which is the second worst in the WNBA, could be a recipe for disaster if Los Angeles isn’t careful.
They’ll have to do as much work as they can, keeping Thomas away from the ball and inside the paint, where she inflicts most of her damage.
The good news for the Sparks is that they have Cameron Brink now on the team to help defensively. Brink was out the other two times L.A. took on Phoenix, recovering from her ACL tear.
Now she is back and averaging 1.7 blocks and 0.6 steals per game. With her in the frontcourt, she gives the Sparks an extra boost to help neutralize Thomas.
Offense-wise, the Sparks should be just fine. L.A. has an offensive rating of 106.3, which is third best in the league and has players like Kelsey Plum that can take over a game. Plum is averaging 20.4 points, a career high for the guard. She was also named a WNBA All-Star and is very likely going to make the All-WNBA team.
With Plum and other offensive producers like Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson, the Sparks certainly have enough firepower to take care of business at home on Tuesday.
Winning in L.A. hasn’t come easy for the Sparks. They have a 7-10 record at home. No team still in playoff contention has a worse home record than Los Angeles.
A Sparks win against the Mercury not only bucks that trend, but it gives them a two-game winning streak, places them only a half-game behind the Fever, with a matchup against them coming up on Friday.