Sparks can't keep pace late in game, fall to Nneka Ogwumike and Storm

Asked after Tuesday's game how she would rate the Sparks' season, Azurá Stevens immediately answered “D+” before quickly switching to a “C+” in a fit of laughter after Rickea Jackson gave her a shocked expression.

“I meant a C+,” Stevens said as the media room joined in the lighthearted laughter. “That’s because of the record and because we’ve had injuries, but a lot of these games have been within our control so we are trending in the right direction. At the end of the year it will be an A.”

Despite Stevens helping the Sparks catch up to the Storm with 17 second-half points, the Sparks couldn’t overcome Seattle's late push in the fourth quarter to fall 89-83 at Crypto.com Arena.

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“I talked to the team about how proud I am of our growth, proud of our play and while it's not always equating into wins, we've come a long way since May basketball with a very young team,” Curt Miller said. “We’ve kept it a bit vanilla since we are so young, but you're seeing growth where we can throw more at them.”

Coming off a 41-37 first-half lead, the Storm quickly took charge to build a game-high 12-point lead in the third quarter. But a rally by the Sparks late in the third quarter whittled the gap to three heading into the fourth.

Stevens made a basket for a 73-71 Sparks lead with 6:29 left before Jewell Loyd and Nneka Ogwumike combined to score 11 straight for Seattle. The Sparks didn’t make their next field goal until 52.1 seconds remained.

Loyd and Ogwumike combined to score 20 of Seattle’s 25 fourth-quarter points. Ogwumike made a driving layup with 2:20 left to move past Lisa Leslie for 12th on the WNBA career scoring list.

Lloyd led the Storm with 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Ogwumike contributed 23 points, 10 rebounds and six steals.

Stevens led the Sparks with 24 points and 15 rebounds while Rae Burrell added a career-high-tying 18 points.

Burrell’s performance off the bench provided a boost the Sparks needed. After a knee injury in 2022 limited her to three games as a rookie, Burrell has shown improvement.

“Rae is full of energy and life,” Jackson said. “She’s a jokester but also one of those glue people for our team. She works so hard and puts in the work everyday. To see her reap the benefits of all her hard work has been awesome to see. I am so happy for her and proud of her.”

Tuesday was saw the return of Ogwumike, a former Sparks star who left in free agency, signing a one-year contract with the Storm.

Despite her being in a different uniform, Ogwumike’s return meant a lot to Miller, whose decision to take the job — after previously serving as an assistant coach in 2015 — was largely because of Ogwumike.

“Nneka and the whole Ogwumike family have been a big part of my WNBA journey,” Miller said. “When I got a start in this league with the Sparks in 2015, one of the special first-year opportunities for me was that loaded Sparks team that included [Ogwumike]. She was a big part of that first year and why I have such an appreciation for this franchise. I wanted the opportunity to build with her coming back here. She deserves an unbelievable welcome back.”

After a layup by the Storm’s Skyler Diggins-Smith opened the game, the Sparks struggled to get on the board until a basket by Dearica Hamby more than four minutes into the first quarter. The Sparks found some momentum and closed the gap to 19-17 by the end of the first quarter.

It was a big first half for Burrell, who gave the Sparks their first lead with an early three-pointer in the second quarter and led the team with 12 points.

Despite efforts by Burrell and Jackson, who notched 10 points and three rebounds in the half, a shot by Ogwumike with 1:32 leftgave the Storm back the lead. Stevens stopped the run with a three-pointer to end the half at a 41-37 deficit.

The Sparks return to action Aug. 15 against the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena after a break for the WNBA All-Star Game at the Paris Olympics.

In the meantime, four Sparks will begin preparation for the Olympics, including Hamby, who will play for the U.S. 3x3 team. While packing was the focus for Hamby after Tuesday’s game, she will start Olympic preparations with a Thursday practice.

“That's the focus right now, but it will really start to set in soon,” Hamby said after scoring 15 points with nine rebounds. “This year has been one of my best and while obviously you want to win championships, this year means a lot to me because it was very intentional, I set goals for myself and I'm reaching them.”

The Sparks' other Olympians are Stephanie Talbot, who will play for Australia, Kia Nurse, who will play for Canada, and Miller, who will serve as a scout for the U.S. team.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.