The Los Angeles Sparks had back-to-back matchups against the Seattle Storm on Saturday and Tuesday, with the first matchup demonstrating how they can win a tough game and protect home court and the other being an utter collapse. Add up all the positives and negatives of 2023 and L.A. is even at 3-3 six games in.
The Sparks’ 92-85 win on Saturday was impressive for multiple reasons. One, Los Angeles had just played a tough overtime game against the Phoenix Mercury the night before. Two, they were able to dominate the boards and stayed in control of the game for most of the second half. And even with Jewell Loyd dominating with a 37-point performance, L.A. was able to force her to go 0-of-3 in the closing minute to secure the victory.
Tuesday was the same matchup but the result was different. L.A. fell to Seattle 66-63 following a second-quarter collapse where the Sparks gave up their 21-point advantage.
So how did L.A. blow a 21-point lead on the road giving Seattle its first win of the season? One word: turnovers.
The Sparks committed 23 in the game and 12 in the second quarter, where they were outscored 29-14 and saw their lead dwindle to just three at halftime.
The Sparks still had a chance late, but Seattle just played better in the final two minutes to pull off the…
