LOS ANGELES — Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds, lifting Minnesota to an 82-67 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lynx’s (16-6) 3-point shooting was the centerpiece of their dominant victory, made possible by their quick ball movement and off-ball motion. Minnesota converted on nine of 18 shots from 3-point range and raised its WNBA-leading 3-point conversion rate to 39.1%.
The Sparks (5-17) could not match the Lynx’s 3-point flurry; Los Angeles ended the night shooting a poor 15% from deep.
“We missed a lot of uncontested shots again. This is a make-or-miss league. You have got to make shots,” said head coach Curt Miller postgame. “[We] have got to stay confident. You can tell it’s in their head right now that they are missing uncontested shots.”
Minnesota delivered a large first punch from the jump, setting the Sparks on an uphill climb the whole game. The Lynx led by as much as 14 points in the first quarter and never looked back. The Sparks eventually made their runs to cut the deficit to five in the second quarter but struggled to maintain the energy throughout the first half. Minnesota regained momentum heading into halftime, leading by 16 points at the break.
“I am not sure we were ready for the physicality and fight. As much as you preach it, they have to have the desire when they walk out there,” Miller said.
Despite the loss, Sparks guard Dearica Hamby displayed her All-Star prowess, serving as the only Los Angeles player to score in double- digits with 18 points. On top of her list of accolades, Hamby reached a milestone in the third quarter, surpassing the 3,000 career point mark.
The bucket that gave Dearica 3,000 career points! @dearicamarie x #TheNewClassic pic.twitter.com/f3LxWGC9pw
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) July 10, 2024
While the Sparks had successfully limited turnovers in recent games, the team returned to its bad habits on Tuesday night. Aggravated by the Lynx’s on-ball pressure, the Sparks coughed up the ball a whopping 18 times.
“Our turnovers against a very good defensive team crept up again. Some were self-inflicted, and some were disappointing reads,” Miller said.
Even on a night when the Lynx were missing their best player, forward Napheesa Collier, Minnesota found strength in its depth. The Lynx had four players finish in double figures, as forward Droka Juhasz scored 15 points; Carleton scored 16; guard Kayla McBride scored 11; and bench forward Cecilia Zandalasini had 11.
“We are running the same type of plays. It’s a great learning lesson for us that we can learn from them; it’s not the plays but the execution of plays,” Miller said. “[Minnesota] is so crisp. They run their stuff so hard. They are fast in short areas.”
Next, the Sparks will travel to face the Dallas Wings (5-17) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at College Park Center. The last meeting between Dallas and Los Angeles on June 7 resulted in an 81-72 win for the Sparks.