LOS ANGELES -- The Sparks (13-24) finally snap their long losing streak on Saturday when they defeated the Connecticut Sun. They hope to keep that momentum going on Monday and beyond.
But of course, the team coming in on Monday is a team that annihilated them last Thursday. The Atlanta Dream (24-13) are back in L.A., fresh off clinching a playoff spot for the 2026 postseason after defeating the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.
As mentioned before, the less the Thursday game is talked about, the better it is for the Sparks. It's a brand new day and a brand new game.
This Atlanta Dream team, though, is not a brand new team and they're certainly not brand new to obliterating their opponents. They gave the Sparks a 36-point spanking on that aforementioned Thursday night. It's already tough to beat a team like the Dream and it's ten times tougher when that Dream team shoots 64 (NINTENDO SIXTY-FOOOOUUUURRRR!!!!) percent.
The Sparks were good enough in offense on Thursday but couldn't get a stop. It was much better for them against the Sun on Saturday but quite frankly, both teams didn't play great. The Sparks led by 22 in the fourth quarter but didn't score a point in the last six minutes and 12 seconds. That ended up being a nine-point win. And they absolutely can't go on a dry spell, let alone an extended one, against the Dream.
In that Thursday game, Rhyne Howard scored 26 points. But it was Angel Reese who dominated on the floor with a near-triple-double (20-10-8). And she didn't miss any of her nine field goal attempts.
"I don't know if it's a learning thing," Roberts said about learning anything from playing Reese after the game. "I think it's a respect thing. There's always a lot of narrative about Angel, but man, she competes. And she plays so hard and I respect the hell out of that. And even when she wasn't in the game, she's the loudest on the bench. She's a competitor. And I just have a lot of respect for that."
The other Dream players didn't get as much pub but they can't be ignored. Jordin Canada nearly had a double-double with nine points and 11 assists. Naz Hillmon had 14 points and four blocks. Allisha Gray didn't have the greatest of games but still scored a silent 13 points. Even rookie Madina Okot did damage with 12 points and six boards off the bench.
The Sparks will have to bring the defense they had on Saturday. Yes, it's a difference to go against the Sun than the Dream. But they'll have to bring that physicality, nonetheless, especially against an extremely tough player like Reese.
Rae Burrell has to get off to a better start than Thursday's game; she was scoreless in the first half (ended with 12 for the game). But Burrell has been lighting it up: she's averaged 17.8 points and shooting just over 40 percent from three in her last 12 games. Newcomer Tonie Morgan has showed her elite athleticism in the five games that she's been in L.A.; she's averaged 5.6 points thus far. Rookie Chance Gray has shot 40 percent from three in her last six games as she's providing some punch off the bench. Cameron Brink did get in foul trouble last Saturday as she continues to be a work in progress in that department.
So the Sparks will continue to see what they have with their young players as the season winds down. It'll be tough against that excellent Atlanta team but if they can keep it competitive and close, it'll be an encouraging sign for Los Angeles.
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