NEW YORK — A familiar face was back in the lineup for the Sparks on Thursday night, but that wasn’t enough of a boost to help them take down the reigning WNBA champs.
Natasha Cloud scored 11 of her season-high 23 points in the third quarter and sparked a huge run to lead the New York Liberty to an 89-79 victory over the Sparks, while Burrell saw her first action since injuring her knee in the season opener.
Breanna Stewart added 17 points and 14 rebounds and Sabrina Ionescu had 20 points for New York (12-5), which won for just the third time in its past eight games following a season-opening nine-game winning streak.
The Sparks led 53-42 midway through the third before Cloud and Ionescu got going. Cloud’s three-point play sparked a 13-0 run and then Ionescu scored 10 straight points to give the Liberty a 63-59 advantage.
New York, which outscored the Sparks 32-18 in the third, extended its lead to 69-59 by the end of the period. The Sparks (5-13) cut the margin to five on a Dearica Hamby basket with 3:30 left, but following a turnover by Cloud, Hamby missed a 3-point attempt and Leonie Fiebich sank a 3-pointer on the next possession to push the lead back to eight and help secure the win.
Ionescu missed 10 of her first 11 shots before scoring 17 of her points in the second half. Ionescu, who finished 7 for 18 from the floor, hit the go-ahead basket during the third-quarter surge.
Hamby scored 25 points to lead the Sparks, who continued to struggle protecting leads and lost for the sixth time in seven games. Kelsey Plum added 13 points on 2-of-10 shooting, but the Sparks shot 48.2% overall.
Burrell checked in late in the first quarter and played 12 minutes, finishing with five points.
Kennedy Burke sank four of the Liberty’s 12 3-pointers while scoring 12 points. New York, which shot 42.9% for the night, scored 23 points off 18 Sparks turnovers.
New York was still playing without star forward Jonquel Jones, who has been sidelined with a sprained ankle. Jones told reporters on Wednesday that she’s progressing well, but she didn’t want to put a timetable on her return. The Liberty welcomed back Fiebich, who had been playing for Germany in the EuroBasket tournament over the last few weeks.
The Sparks built a 41-37 halftime lead, then Hamby scored seven consecutive Sparks points for their 53-42 lead with 6:07 left in the third. The Liberty then outscored them 27-6 the rest of the quarter.
Liberty guard Marine Johannes had two standout plays in the first half. She hit a 3-pointer off one foot as the shot clock ran out, and later made a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Stewart for a layup.
SPARKS ADD VANLOO
Julie Vanloo stood outside Barclays Center waiting the final minutes to clear waivers.
She had flown to New York a day earlier after getting cut by the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday. When the clock struck 5, she walked into the arena and joined her new team, the Sparks.
It has been a rollercoaster week for the 32-year-old, who helped Belgium win the EuroBasket title. She skipped the celebration in Belgium to fly back to San Francisco to rejoin the Valkyries only to be waived an hour after her arrival.
“To hear one hour upon arrival: we have to waive you. Honestly, that stung. I understand it’s business, but nothing prepares you for the loneliness that comes with getting cut,” she said on social media. “It feels like the whole world suddenly crashes on your shoulders.”
The Sparks were happy to add her, giving the team another talented guard.
“I’m so happy, so excited for her,” said Sparks guard Julie Allemand, who played on the Belgium team with Vanloo. “First of all, happy to have her on the team. She’s going to help us a lot, but happy for her because, like, the last days were crazy for her.”
Allemand said she had been talking to her friend all week and had hoped the Sparks would pick her up after she was cut. She was texting with Vanloo in the final minutes leading up to her joining the team. It takes 48 hours for players to clear waivers.
“It was crazy because, like, we were in the locker room and we were waiting for her,” Allemand said. “Like, she was waiting outside.”
Sparks first-year coach Lynne Roberts was thrilled to get Vanloo. In the preseason she torched the Sparks with four 3-pointers in what felt like less than two minutes.
“When we heard that the Valkyries had waived her, I immediately said to our GM, let’s see if we can get her,” Roberts said.
Vanloo came in early in the second quarter and played two minutes.
“Safe to say, she’s not familiar with the playbook quite yet,” Roberts said before the game.