Aug 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones (35) blocks a shot by LA Sparks forward Dearica Hamby (5) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks could hardly be much more similar heading into their matchup Friday evening in Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, what the teams share isn’t pretty. Each is 6-22 with 12 games left, each is hoping to end a five-game losing streak, and each coach is eager for his young players to get experience — but insisting the goal is to stay competitive.
“The veterans we have are still going to play,” Mystics coach and general manager Eric Thibault said. “We’re not emptying the bench and doing that whole thing. We want to win some games and get some chemistry.”
That said, Washington got younger at the trade deadline by dealing Myisha Hines-Allen to the Minnesota Lynx in return for Sika Kone, Olivia Epoupa and the Lynx’s second-round pick in the 2026 draft.
The Mystics waived Epoupa but are eager to tap the potential of the 22-year-old Kone, a 6-foot-3 forward who appeared in a combined 37 games for Chicago last season and the Lynx this year. She is averaging 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in 6.6 minutes.
“I think she’s still figuring out who she is as a player a little bit, which you would expect at that age,” Thibault said. “She’s really active, she moves well with and without the ball. Offensively, she’s not the finished product, but she’s comfortable handling the ball and reversing it and handing it off to guards, and that’s definitely something you can work with. She’s got some skills.”
Washington also reacquired Sug Sutton, whom they drafted in 2020 but waived after she appeared in 12 games that season.
Sutton re-emerged with Phoenix over the last two seasons, averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 assists in 62 games, including 12 starts. The Mercury also sent the Mystics a third-round draft pick next season in return for the rights to Klara Lundqvist, a Swedish national who signed with Washington in 2021 but didn’t report.
The Sparks had designs on ending their skid on Tuesday. They went on a 13-2 burst to begin the fourth quarter to lead league power Connecticut 59-55 with 4:15 left in a Sun home game played at TD Garden in Boston. But Los Angeles didn’t score again until two free throws by rookie Rickea Jackson in the final 12 seconds of the Sun’s 69-61 win.
“I thought we really competed at the defensive end,” Los Angeles coach Curt Miller said. “I thought we put ourselves in position to win the game. We didn’t close it, but a really, really physical defensive effort by us that is really encouraging as we move forward in this build.”
While Jackson is among young players getting valuable minutes, Miller said, “Even our veterans aren’t old and are part of this build. Obviously Dear (Dearica Hamby) and Azura (Stevens) are a part of this in the future.”
Hamby, 30, is a 10-year veteran and three-time All-Star. She leads Los Angeles in points per game (18.0) and rebounds per game (10.1). The 28-year-old Stevens is averaging 11.3 points per game and just signed a one-year contract extension with the team.
–Field Level Media
