LOS ANGELES — Defense. It’s a seven-letter word that’s easier said than done.
“It’s got to be a collective effort,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said before the game.
However, a career-best effort from Minnesota Lynx rookie point guard Olivia Miles was too much for the short-handed Sparks to handle on Wednesday night as Miles scored 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field to hand the hosts a 99-83 defeat at Crypto.com Arena. She scored 17 of her points in the second quarter and had a WNBA rookie record 24 on 10-of-11 shooting by halftime.
The Sparks played without All-Star guard Kelsey Plum (left lower leg), who is averaging 25 points per game and forward Cameron Brink (left ankle), the team’s best shot blocker, due to recent injuries.
“Defense has been something that we definitely want to change,” Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said before the game. “We have to have good inside presence. We can’t make it easy for people to make easy buckets. Cam does a really good job of covering up our mistakes in that way, so as a team we have to replace that inside presence.”
LA Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike on playing without Cameron Brink against the Minnesota Lynx. pic.twitter.com/INuoAZn7OE
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 18, 2026
Guard Rae Burrell scored a team-high 19 points for the Sparks (7-8), who shot 41% from the field (25 for 61) and lost their second straight game. Rookie guard Jihyun Park, who had scored just six points all season, added a career-high 13 points off the bench. Dearica Hamby had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Ogwumike contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
Forward Natasha Howard scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lynx (12-3), who have won 10 of their past 11 games. Guard Kayla McBride added 14 points, and Courtney Williams scored 13. Nia Coffey had a career-high five steals.
The Sparks trailed 23-19 at the end of the first quarter, but Burrell was off to a fast start with 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers on 4-of-5 shooting overall.
Miles and the Lynx took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Sparks 19-7 to open a 42-26 lead with five minutes left in the first half. The Sparks trailed 52-37 at halftime, with Burrell (14 points) and Hamby (10) pacing the offense.
“We haven’t hit our stride,” Roberts said before the game.
Roberts said she would be looking for second-year forward Sania Feagin, guard Kate Martin, who has played in 10 of the allowable 12 games as a developmental contract player, and rookies Chance Gray and Ta’Niya Latson to step up in the absence of Plum and Brink. However, Martin left the game with a left knee injury in the second half and did not return.
“It’s one thing to get put in,” Roberts said. “It’s another thing to be needed and that’s a different level of being ready.”
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve had a different pregame take on the state of defense in the WNBA.
“Honestly, I don’t think players are playing as much defense as they have in the past,” Reeve said. “We’ve become very, very offensive-centric in the mindsets of the majority of the teams. We can’t figure out if we’re actually that good defensively or if no one else is really that interested.”
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FAVORITE
Miles more than lived up to her status as the early frontrunner for the WNBA Rookie of Year award. Reeve said the Lynx veterans have done a great job of letting the No. 2 pick in April’s draft be herself.
“That’s the thing we really ask for, is everybody gets to be themselves,” Reeve explained, “bring their authentic selves to the workspace. When you need to teach her something, teach her something, but otherwise let her go.”
UP NEXT
The Sparks will host the New York Liberty on Sunday in a game commemorating the WNBA’s 30th season, featuring two historic franchises that played in the league’s inaugural game on June 21, 1997.