The New York Liberty experienced some sluggish moments on Monday night in their game against the Phoenix Mercury before making enough plays down the stretch.
With nine wins in its past 10 outings, New York hopes to play a more complete game on Wednesday night when it visits the league-worst Los Angeles Sparks.
New York (26-5) holds a three-game lead over the Connecticut Sun for the best record in the league, though it might be reduced by tip-off since its closest pursuer is visiting the Indiana Fever earlier Wednesday.
The Liberty saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end with a rough offensive showing in a 72-64 loss vs. Connecticut on Saturday. After scoring its fewest points all season against the Sun, New York pulled away for an 84-70 victory on Monday by outscoring the Mercury 25-17 in the fourth quarter.
Breanna Stewart scored 21 points while Courtney Vandersloot had a season-best 16 for the Liberty. Jonquel Jones added 15 and Sabrina Ionescu scored 13 in her second game back from a neck injury.
New York finished with 12 steals and forced 22 turnovers.
“In the second half, we moved the ball like we were supposed to,” New York coach Sandy Brondello said. “That allowed us to move downhill and attack closeouts on the second and third side. That’s more fun for them to play and more fun to watch.”
The Sparks (6-24) are in the final weeks of the worst season in team history and their fourth straight losing campaign.
Los Angeles is on its second losing streak of at least seven games this season after being unable to keep pace defensively with the Dallas Wings in a 113-110 loss on Sunday in the finale of a four-game road trip.
Among the losses during this current seven-game skid was a 103-68 defeat to the Liberty on Aug. 15, but in their past five games, the Sparks have an average margin of defeat of 7.4 points. In Dallas, the Sparks held a 92-73 lead through three quarters — when they were shooting 62.7 percent overall — but wound up getting outscored 40-18 in the final frame.
Odyssey Sims scored 26 points off the bench, rookie Rickea Jackson added 25 and Dearica Hamby contributed 21, but the Sparks allowed the most points in a single game in the WNBA this season.
“You better own (it) when you are having a poor year,” Sparks coach Curt Miller posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I own it, need to be better for our young team.”
–Field Level Media