LOS ANGELES — It was another up-and-down night for Dearica Hamby and the Sparks on Tuesday.
The veteran forward was named a WNBA All-Star for the third time in four years then flirted with a triple-double before the Sparks blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Washington Mystics and lost their eighth consecutive game, 82-80, at Crypto.com Arena.
Hamby, who logged her 12th double-double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, said she feels like she deserves her spot on the 12-player Team WNBA that will face the U.S. women’s national team in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix.
“I feel like I earned it,” she said. “I’ve been through a lot the last year, just the perseverance and resilience that I’ve had to come out and perform the way I have night in and night out, it means a lot to me.”
Hamby was automatically named an All-Star by league officials Tuesday night after she finished in the top 10 of All-Star voting. Team WNBA includes former Spark Nneka Ogwumike and rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as part of the group that will help Team USA tune up ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin a few days later.
The Sparks (4-15) led Tuesday’s game by 12 points going into the fourth quarter but were outscored 30-16 in the final 10 minutes.
“I thought we did a lot of good things in stretches,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “It’s not going to feel good because of the fourth quarter and ultimately the loss.”
Sparks guard Aari McDonald had 17 points and six assists and forward Stephanie Talbot also had 17 points. Rookie forward Rickea Jackson added 12 points.
Reserve guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to pace the Mystics (5-15). Forward Myisha Hines-Allen had 16 points and seven rebounds. Rookie guard Julie Vanloo had 15 points. Center Stefanie Dolson added 10 points.
The Mystics, who trailed 66-52 early in the fourth quarter, went on a 14-0 run to tie the score at 66-all with 5:44 remaining.
“They hit some timely shots and we started on offense kind of going away from the things that were working and having empty possessions, couldn’t get stops,” Hamby said.
“When we’re in those droughts and we can’t score and we’re not getting stops, I think we can do a better job of just making sure we’re composed and we’re taking a deep breath and letting the team know that we’re still in the game,” McDonald said. “Just keep doing what has been successful throughout the game.”
The game remained tight for the final five minutes. McDonald’s pull-up jump shot put the Sparks back ahead at 68-66 and Talbot added a free throw before Vanloo hit a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the score at 69-all. The Sparks went back ahead on a McDonald 3-pointer, but the Mystics took a 75-74 lead on a 3-pointer by Walker-Kimbrough.
Sparks guard Kia Nurse responded with a 3-pointer to give her team a 77-75 lead with 2:37 left, but Mystics guard Ariel Atkins tied the score again at 77-all. Dolson’s three-point play gave the Mystics an 80-77 lead with 1:18 remaining, then Jackson and McDonald missed tough layups in the final minute.
The Sparks won a jump ball and called timeout with 20.7 seconds left. Walker-Kimbrough stole the ball and was fouled with 17.4 left. She made one of two free throws. The Sparks trailed 81-77 but did not attempt a shot before Talbot was whistled for an offensive foul with 14.6 to go. Walker-Kimbrough made one of two free throws for an 82-77 lead. Hamby missed a desperation 3-point attempt with two seconds left, then Talbot made a 3-pointer as time expired.
“I think when teams go on a run, which is natural it’s basketball, but with a young team we tend to kind of go within ourselves and lose sight of the bigger picture of staying patient,” Hamby said.
The Sparks next host the Las Vegas Aces, Hamby’s former team, on Friday night.
The Sparks came into Tuesday’s game with just nine active players – Cameron Brink (torn ACL), Lexie Brown (Crohn’s disease) and Azurá Stevens (left arm) are all sidelined – and Miller said he knew his team was in for a physical test against the Mystics.
“It’s a big game for both of us,” Miller said before the game. “We’re on a losing streak. We both could use a little bit of positivity with that win but I know deep down both of us just want to play well. We want to execute what we’re trying to execute. No one can say either one of our teams aren’t playing hard. No one can say either one of our teams aren’t competitive most nights. It just hasn’t always got to the finish line.”
The Sparks led 22-18 at the end of the first quarter behind seven points from Jackson. Hamby’s steal and fast-break layup put the Sparks ahead 32-25 midway through the second quarter, and McDonald’s layup with 4.5 seconds left in the first half gave the hosts a 43-38 halftime advantage. Talbot led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, going 3 for 3 from behind the arc.
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The Sparks began the second half on an 8-0 run and extended their cushion to 51-38 early in the third quarter. McDonald’s smooth crossover against Vanloo, followed by a 3-pointer made it 58-47 midway through the period and the Sparks eventually took a 64-52 lead heading into the final period.
FAMILIAR TEMPLATE
Miller said his coaching philosophy shares many principles with Mystics coach Eric Thibault, a long-time assistant under his father Mike, who is now solely the franchise’s general manager. Thibault agreed with Miller’s complimentary assessment.
“We stole a lot of our defense from (Curt Miller) so that would be one reason that we see some similarities,” Eric Thibault said before the game. “We played him a bunch of times obviously when he was in Connecticut and we realized how hard they were to play against and we actually adapted some of the things we did defensively, partly based on his team.”
NURSE TO PARIS
Nurse, a six-year veteran, was excited to be named to the Canadian national team ahead of the Summer Olympics.
“I’m really grateful,” Nurse said. “I got the call a couple of days (ago) about it and every time I get the opportunity to wear Canada across my chest it’s very special and it’s hard to put into words how special that is. The opportunity to go back to another Olympics, knowing that the last two didn’t necessarily go the way we wanted them to but to get another shot at it, which is not always guaranteed, I’m grateful to have that opportunity and to be a leader on that team now is something that I relish and I’m really excited for.”
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