The New York Liberty return from the WNBA All-Star break on Tuesday with the first date in a three-game road swing, facing a Los Angeles Sparks team looking to turn around its season.
The Sparks (10-16) went into the break on a five-game losing skid and with losses in eight of their last 10 games overall. Los Angeles began its slump following a 98-97 win over New York (15-12) on June 21, which was the last time standout guard Kelsey Plum played.
Plum averaged 23.9 points and 6.4 assists at the time of sustaining her lower leg injury. Although the Sparks organization offered no clear timetable for her return, ESPN reported that Plum said she would “be back next week” during a July 23 public appearance.
Eleven-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks through the tumultuous month heading to the break, including posting double-doubles in each of the last four contests. She is averaging 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
While Los Angeles has had consistent scoring contributions from Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, who is averaging 14.8 points per game, Plum’s absence looms offensively in other ways. The Sparks committed 18 turnovers their last time out, an 86-82 loss to Phoenix on July 22, including seven in a pivotal third quarter.
“They’re the live-ball (turnovers),” Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts lamented about the nature of the turnovers. “(Phoenix) had 20 points off our turnovers, and that’s the game.”
The Sparks are averaging 14.3 turnovers per game, which is more than all but four teams in the league. Turnovers have contributed to Los Angeles allowing a league-high 93.3 points per game.
New York visits having not generated many takeaways on the season — the Liberty’s 11.2 turnovers forced per game are the fewest in the league — but New York does rank in the top-five for scoring defense, allowing 86.2 points per contest. The 97 points the Liberty notched in their last matchup with Los Angeles marked the first of seven games in the Sparks’ last 11 in which they gave up 96 points or more.
New York snapped a four-game losing skid before the break, scoring 99 and 95 points in one-point wins over Dallas and Chicago. Sabrina Ionescu helped fuel the Liberty with 29 points in the July 22 defeat of Chicago and 21 points on July 20 at Dallas.
Ionescu has scored 21-plus points in four of New York’s last five outings.
Teammate Jonquel Jones, who posted a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double her last time out with New York, returns to the court on Tuesday fresh off winning Most Valuable Player of the WNBA All-Star Game. Jones came two assists shy of a triple-double, finishing with 22 points and 13 rebounds en route to becoming the league’s first player to win All-Star, regular-season, Finals and Commissioner’s Cup MVP honors.
“Every time I put that (Liberty) jersey, I know I represent a city that loves that game,” Jones said following the All-Star Game.
–Field Level Media
