LOS ANGELES — The first back-to-back of the Sparks’ season met their breakneck playstyle, two opposites colliding, and the latter proving impenetrable.
Dearica Hamby scored seven points in the final 1:25 to help the Sparks erase a 7-point deficit. With 5.6 seconds remaining, she drove past Dominique Malonga for an and-1 layup and converted the ensuing free throw to put the Sparks ahead 94-91.
The Storm had a chance to answer, but Julie Alleman read Skylar Diggins’ swing pass and broke up the play. Timely contributions like Alleman’s helped the Sparks overcome the back-to-back and earn a crucial win in their fight for a playoff berth.
Cameron Brink scored a season-high 14 points in 11 minutes off the bench as she continues to grow comfortable. Hamby ended with 19 points and hit all three of her clutch foul shots. Alleman and Julie Vanloo each grabbed three steals.
Kelsey Plum, consistent as ever, led the Sparks with 20 points and seven assists.
Twice on Sunday, it seemed like the Sparks (15-16) would succumb to the inevitable fatigue that comes with playing two games in as many days. But neither time did they fold.
The first of those challenges came when the Storm (16-15) jumped out to a 20-5 lead.
The Sparks committed eight turnovers in the first seven minutes. They conceded offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions, both resulting in Diggins’ jump shots. Ultimately, the Storm went on a 16-0 run before Plum went coast-to-coast for an and-1 layup that stopped the bleeding.
Rae Burrell’s impact helped the Spark turn the game around, too. She scored eight points and dropped two assists in the first half, her left-wing 3-pointer cutting the margin to three before Plum hit a game-tying pull-up 3.
After overcoming that early gap, the Sparks and Storm traded leads throughout the third quarter and into the fourth. The Sparks continued to seek out 3-point shots, ending the night 14-of-27 from deep. The Storm, on the other hand, found success on their pick-and-roll as the Sparks were late on their weak-side rotations time and again.
Malonga, the 6-foot-6 rookie whom the Storm drafted second overall, scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Sykes scored 10 of her game-high 27 points in the final quarter to help the Storm build a slight lead. And then Diggins hit a mid-range jump shot to put Seattle up 87-80 with two minutes remaining.
Again, the Sparks could have fallen at the hands of exhaustion, but they engineered another surge.
Azura Stevens hit a right-wing 3-pointer and then set up Hamby to draw a foul on a pick-and-roll, her two free throws tying the game. Plum drew another trip to the line on the following possession to put the Sparks back up two. But Sykes answered, driving right past Plum for a scoop layup that knotted things at 89.
They traded baskets again, before Hamby took on Malonga and found just enough space for the deciding layup.
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