LOS ANGELES — The Sky needed this one. The Sparks entered the game below .500 and were still without leading scorer Kelsey Plum, making this the more manageable stop before the Sky close their road trip against the 15-8 Wings.
Instead, the Sky lost 102-87, falling to 7-15 and four games behind the eighth and final playoff spot. And they were once again without point guard Skylar Diggins, who hasn’t played since being benched on Monday.
“I think they stole one from us today, and credit to them, they played a really great game,” guard Jacy Sheldon said. “They want to play fast, we want to play fast, and it got going in their favor tonight.”
All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 25 points, and every member of their starting five scored at least 15.
Diggins, meanwhile, missed her second consecutive game — officially out with a knee injury. Coach Tyler Marsh said the team doesn’t have a timeline for her return, and conversations about her role remain ongoing. A situation that sounds about as murky as their playoff hopes.
In her absence, the best stretches came from Sheldon and Gabriela Jaquez off the bench. Sheldon scored 10 points in the first quarter, giving the Sky an early jolt. Jaquez finished with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting, a welcome performance after a tougher stretch for the rookie.
Kamilla Cardoso and Sydney Taylor also scored in double figures, but Cardoso battled foul trouble and defensive adjustments. Once she started finding baskets inside, the Sparks sent double-teams and forced the ball out of her hands.
The Sky kept pace for three quarters and scored 87 points, but Marsh thought their offense lacked connectedness and purpose. The Sparks played with a flow and edge the Sky couldn’t match.
“We’ve been hanging our hat on our fight, on our grit, on our toughness, on our resilience,” Marsh said. “I think today we just recognized this wasn’t the level of energy that we’ve approached the last several games with. We gotta recommit to that.”
The Sky can recommit. But again, they’re running out of time — with or without Diggins.