Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) is defended by Phoenix Mercury guards Natasha Cloud (0) and Rebecca Allen (11) during the first quarter at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Sunday, June 16, 2024. The Seattle Storm can close with a three-game winning streak before the Olympic break when they visit a Los Angeles Sparks team seeking back-to-back wins of their own in a Tuesday matinee.
Los Angeles (6-17) aims to go into the break with some positive momentum, playing for its first winning streak since early June. The Sparks knocked off the Dallas Wings on Saturday behind 27 points from Dearica Hamby and a career-high 23 points from Rickea Jackson.
The rookie Jackson outpaced the 22 points she recorded just two games prior in an 84-78 loss on July 7 at Phoenix. Jackson comes into Tuesday’s contest averaging 11.2 points per game, second among all Los Angeles scorers who have played more than three games this season.
Hamby is setting the pace for the Sparks at 19.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Hampered by injuries much of the campaign, including losing rookie defensive stopper Cameron Brink to a torn ACL, the Sparks got a recent boost with the return of Azura Stevens to action. Stevens has scored at least nine points, grabbed at least six rebounds and dished four assists in each of her three games since undergoing arm surgery in the spring.
“We’re all three versatile (players) and (coach Curt Miller) can plug us in anywhere,” Hamby said of her, Jackson and Stevens playing off of each other.
The trio will try to find mismatches to generate offense against Seattle (16-8), which ranks among the top defenses in the WNBA. The Storm are holding opponents to 77.4 points per game and at 41.6 are holding teams to the second-lowest average field-goal percentage.
Seattle’s 81-70 win over Atlanta on Sunday marked the fourth time in the Storm’s last six games they held an opponent to 71 points or fewer. Seattle is 4-0 in those contests.
“We focus a lot defensively, but that doesn’t mean getting stops all the time,” Ezi Magbegor said. “It’s getting deflections, it’s playing team defense.
“Whether it’s switching, whether it’s fronting the post … that leads to transition, that leads to offense,” she added.
Seattle has six players averaging a steal or more per game, including Magbegor, whose 2.4 blocks per game rank second among all WNBA players.
Magbegor is also one of four Seattle scorers averaging 13.3 points or more per game. The balanced Storm offense is led by Jewell Loyd, who is averaging 19.7 points and Nneka Ogwumike at 17.1.
Ogwumike, who played for Los Angeles from 2012-23, went for 26 points when Seattle beat the Sparks 95-79 on June 11.
–Field Level Media
