Two of the WNBA’s struggling teams, the Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings, will square off on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, in an attempt to climb out of the league cellar.
Both teams have been beset by injuries, with Los Angeles playing without rookie center Cameron Brink (lost for the season with a knee injury) and the Wings battling without forward Satou Sabally (shoulder) and guard Maddy Siegrist (broken finger).
The teams split their first two meetings this season. Dallas won in Los Angeles by a point on May 26 while the Sparks countered with a home victory on June 7.
Los Angeles (5-17) has lost two straight games and 10 of its past 11, including an 82-67 defeat at home to Minnesota on Tuesday. Dearica Hamby paced the Sparks with 18 points and eight rebounds while Azura Stevens, playing in just her second game this season after arm surgery in March, started for the first time and added nine points.
“I feel good,” Stevens told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a condensed season, so I’ve had reps in practice. … I’m still getting used to just the physicality of the game, incorporating my arm in that.”
Los Angeles shot 41.1 percent from the floor and produced its second-worst scoring total of the season. Hamby has led the Sparks in scoring in five of their past six contests.
The Wings (5-18) have also dropped two straight, and five of their past six outings, most recently a 100-84 decision in Phoenix on Wednesday. Natasha Howard and Odyssey Sims scored 19 points apiece to lead Dallas in the loss while Teaira McCowan added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Arike Ogunbowale had 13 points and 13 assists.
The Wings trailed by just three points at halftime but lost touch in the third quarter when they were outscored by 11. Dallas has won just twice since May 26 and heads home for the final two games before the WNBA’s monthlong Olympic hiatus.
“We’re starting to get, hopefully, people back after the break,” Wings coach Latricia Trammell said last week. “I never loved seeing an Olympic break, but it’s really going to be beneficial for our team. But we’re trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
–Field Level Media
