Sparks take on Mercury as they try to snap four-game skid
· Yahoo Sports
LOS ANGELES -- The Sparks are on a season-high four-game losing streak.
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Ever since their leading scorer Kelsey Plum went down, the Sparks have lost seven of their last nine games overall. Their record is an overall 10-15 and that 8th playoff spot is looking more blurry in the distance.
They have one more game before the All-Star break. They draw the Phoenix Mercury (9-18) at home, which is where they'd rather be after going 0-4 in their last road trip. They are also 2-0 against the Merc this season.
"We're trying to make sure that we come with that same mentality that we did in the games that we won and executing whatever the coverages are," Sparks wing Rae Burrell said during practice on Tuesday. "We have our plans set so it's really about execution at this point."
"Execution, execution," Sparks All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike said. "Both into the defensive coverage and also executable points."
What about that aforementioned road trip?
"I don't know what the biggest denominator is on it but that is what's happening is the lack of execution," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said.
That's the theme: execution. In the dictionary, the definition of execution is the act of doing or performing something, especially in a planned way.
And as Coach Roberts said, the Sparks have lacked that. They averaged over 16 turnovers per game in that road trip.
"I think it's discipline. It's focus," Roberts continued. "It's heightened. I mean, you've got to be just acutely aware of if it's a tie game against Dallas, who do you think it's going to go to? You've got to have some consciousness of who you're guarding, time you'll score. We've just got to be better in those situations."
So how do they approach a team that they've already beaten twice this year in the Mercury?
"I think it can be a little bit of a trap to think, 'oh, we beat them twice at their place. We can just roll the ball out and be fine,'" Coach Roberts said. "We haven't earned the position to be in that. We can't think that way. They're a good team. And they're playing with the same kind of desperation we are. So, yes, it's a little bit of chess the third time you play somebody, not checkers. So there's been some adjustments that we'll make that will be different for them."
Sparks forward Cameron Brink, who came back recently, repeated something that's been said in the past.
"Not being complacent," Brink said. "It's tough playing a team three times, four times, five times. So just coming out with that same tenacity, sticking to our game plan, communicating with each other, making sure we're huddling during, you know, dead periods on the court, being locked in."
The Mercury don't attempt as many threes as Nate Tibbetts probably wants them to put up. This team, like the Sparks, is searching for something. They had lost five in a row before defeating the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.
But it's not a team that should be underestimated. After all, this team went to the Finals last season. They still have Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. DeWanna Bonner can still put up numbers. And Natasha Mack is strong as hell.
The Sparks feel a win would turn around things. Any win.
"I feel like we didn't quit on any games (during the trip)," Burrell said about the team's progression. "I feel like our fight is there. After one of the games, we talked about what we need to work on and we were able to execute it the next game. Even though it wasn't a win, it was better than what we did the game previously so I think just fighting and just keep pushing through."
"That road trip was tough in that regard," Coach Roberts said about getting close to wins. "The game plans were good. The players were in there. It's just tough not to be rewarded with a win but you've just got to keep hammering across us. I feel like we're really, really close."
"Very close," Brink agreed. "I'm always going to believe in what we're doing and our pieces and our coaches and everything. So I think this league, it's just so hard to win in this league, and this is the best league in the world for a reason. So we're just putting the pieces together, and it takes time."
But that time could run out soon. At 10-15, getting close isn't enough anymore. A win could very well turn things around. And the Sparks could use this win in front of 10,000 screaming children for Kids' Day as they go into the All-Star break and propel themselves into the second half of the season.