Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the WNBA daily as we try to heal from this pandemic.
The Los Angeles Sparks finally get a scratch this season. I meant their first win.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Dale Zanine/USA Today.)
The Sparks won their first game of the season after clamping the Chicago Sky, who lost their third straight game. Unfortunately, we did not see Candace Parker go against her former team as she sat out her fourth straight game with a sprained ankle.
And it wasn’t a pretty game. The Sparks turned the ball over 19 times but their defense was a big reason that the Sky coughed the ball up 27 times. Brittney Sykes came off the bench for 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals.
Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler gave the Sparks a couple of runs that helped L.A. win by double digits. We all remember when Wheeler won the All-Star Game MVP in 2019 in a very emotional performance when she played for the Indiana Fever. Nneka scored 14 while Wheeler had 13 for Los Angeles.
And that’s why I think the Sparks can still get it done. They’re probably not a championship team anymore but they still have the Ogwumike sisters, Wheeler, Kristi Toliver, Sykes, and Amanda Zahui B., who made her debut on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Sky have to recover from three straight losses. They’re still waiting for Parker, Allie Quigley, and Stefanie Dolson to return. But they were expected to compete for the championship; that is, if they’re healthy.
But no matter what team they have, they probably can’t win if they turn the ball over 27 times.
The Sparks and Sky have a rematch on Sunday.
Bullet Passes
Jonquel Jones continues to wow this season with a 20-12-5 performance as the Connecticut Sun go to 6-1. It was her lay-up after Jasmine Thomas‘s three that put the game out of reach.
But holy heck, Tina Charles continues to scare everyone with her scoring. She put in another 29 points for the Mystics.
The Minnesota Lynx are the only winless team left in the league. Seattle stormed on them and led by as many as 29 points.
The Storm only scored 5 points in the fourth. Heck, they didn’t even score in the last 8:32 of the game. But they didn’t need to.
Well, you see the score between the Aces and the Fever. Las Vegas led by as many as 43 points. That’s rough.
An update on the Commisioner’s Cup? Storm are 4-0 while the Sun are 3-0. The championship game for the Cup is on August 12 and the winning team gets $500,000.
WNBA Scoreboard
May 28, 2021
Watch This Play
Out of nowhere comes Breanna Stewart with the pack.
The stuff by @breannastewart leads to transition 🔥
📺 @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/tENMGyi6uR
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 29, 2021
Probably the best player in the league. What a play.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the WNBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.