Two teams that missed out on the postseason look to wind down the season on a high note when the Los Angeles Sparks host the Portland Fire on Sunday.
Los Angeles (15-26) and Portland (16-26) returned from the FIBA World Cup and sputtered in their initial appearances since the hiatus.
The Sparks sustained a 97-77 blowout loss at Dallas on Thursday. The rout halted Los Angeles’ two-game winning streak entering the World Cup break, having scored victories over Washington and Seattle.
Portland, meanwhile, opened after the layoff with back-to-back losses against Phoenix (94-91) and at Golden State (82-66) on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The losses extended Portland’s skid to three and marked six defeats in its last seven outings.
For the expansion Fire, the final week of the regular season is a chance to right their ship heading into their first offseason.
Portland has one more game after Sunday, a home matchup with Golden State on Tuesday.
Despite the results, Fire head coach Alex Sarama is pleased with his players’ progress.
“I feel like every game, we’ve got better,” he said following Friday’s loss. “That’s what we can ask for in the final games.”
High points for Portland in its expansion season include the backcourt play of Carla Leite. In her second WNBA season, Leite is averaging team highs of 15.8 points and 6.3 assists per game.
Leite scored 26 points in Thursday’s outing, and had 21 points with eight assists in an Aug. 2 loss to the Sparks.
That contest, a 106-101 shootout that snapped Los Angeles’ six-game skid, saw the Sparks’ front court of Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby combine for 45 points.
The two scored 32 combined points Thursday against the Wings, but Rae Burrell was the only other Los Angeles player to reach double figures with 12 points.
Ogwumike continues to produce at a high level despite announcing last month this will be her final season.
She is averaging 17.2 points and 8.8 rebounds heading into the final three games of her career.
“I’m very grateful to have been able to do this on my own terms,” Ogwumike said. “And also have the opportunity to come back (to Los Angeles).”
–Field Level Media
