Sparks, bottom of the table, surprises first-place Liberty and ends losing streak – Daily News

LOS ANGELES – Defense provided the Sparks’ offense on Wednesday night as the WNBA’s last-place team shocked the first-place New York Liberty 94-88 for its first win in eight games.

Dearica Hamby scored 21 points, Rickea Jackson 19 and Rae Burrell added 18 off the bench while the Sparks (7-24) collected 12 steals on a night in which the Liberty (26-6) lost the ball 20 times and drove it down the court en route to an upset. Odyssey Sims added 14 points, seven assists (team-high) and three steals for the Sparks.

Breanna Stewart scored 15 of her game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter for New York, which got 18 points and six assists from Sabrina Ionescu and 14 points and 10 rebounds from Nyara Sabally.

A free throw by Stewart reduced the Sparks’ lead to 77-74 with 4:14 minutes left, but the hosts responded with a 10-0 run and took an 87-74 lead with 1:41 minutes left to win the game.

The Sparks’ win came nearly two weeks after the Liberty beat the Sparks by 35 points on the same court at Crypto.com Arena, a loss that left Sparks coach Curt Miller questioning his team’s pride.

Apparently they took this message to heart and responded with their first win since the away victory against the Dallas Wings before the Olympic break on July 13th.

Hamby (seven rebounds, five assists and three steals) and Jackson (7 of 11 shooting, 4 of 6 three-pointers) provided an inspired defensive performance from the start on Wednesday as the Sparks built a double-digit lead in the first quarter.

Jackson scored 11 points – including three three-pointers in less than two minutes – during a 15-0 run that made it 24-10 late in the first quarter. The No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft shot just 21% (15 of 71) from behind the three-point line in her first 28 WNBA games, but she shot 13 of 19 (68%) in her last three games.

The Liberty finally found their rhythm. Stewart took advantage of a defensive error to cut the lead to five, and the Sparks settled for a 46-39 lead at halftime.

The Liberty scored seven unanswered points early in the third quarter to tie the score at 46-46. The Sparks responded again with their defense. Hamby intercepted a pass from Ionescu and found Stevens for a three-pointer in transition.