In one fell swoop, the Sparks’ 75-70 win over Indiana on Sunday ended both their six-game losing streak (this season) and their 16-game winning streak (at the Staples Center).
Derek Fisher’s team will try to keep the trend going against the Atlanta Dream, which are playing in L.A. on Tuesday and Thursday.
Both teams are hoping to advance to the playoffs late in the season and are looking for some respect, at least in the case of the Sparks.
The Dream are 6-14 and have lost five games in a row, including the 92-81 setback in Phoenix on Sunday. That same night, the Sparks celebrated the return of Nneka Ogwumike from a knee injury and the team’s return to the Staples Center after almost two years with a win over last-placed Fever.
Participation in this week’s miniseries against Atlanta, L.A. is 7-13 and 1½ games from eighth place and a postseason place. The Sparks have 12 more regular season games – eight of them on the road – to put a positive stamp on an injury-ridden season.
« I just think a lot of people don’t respect who we are and what we do just to keep it real, » said Fisher, noting that the Sparks were overlooked for all-star deliberations that Ogwumike has been passed for the US Olympic team and he believes his team is not getting as many fouls as they deserve.
“It’s just that nobody’s really worried about us right now. And that’s fine. We just have to go through everything. … And it’s not easy, but we have to find a way to play it all through and demand that people essentially respect us. But we have to play in such a way that this environment is created. »
« Because of where we are, that comes with it, doesn’t it? » said Fischer. “That’s why you try to convince the players that winning is more important than anything else. Because if you don’t win and your record says that, that’s how people see you. So we are in control of changing that perception and the way we are viewed and / or treated or mistreated, that is up to us, and it’s okay. ”
Related Articles
Sparks survive fear, beat Atlanta Dream in overtime
Sparks outlast Indiana Fever in return for the Staples Center
Sparks looks forward to the Staples Center returning home
Lauren Cox from Sparks meets former team at the re-opener on Sunday
Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike Stress Resilience in the Second Half
You have to find a way to put more points on the board if that is going to happen.
The Sparks averaged 73.3 points per game in the league and shoot 39.8% off the field. Your offensive rating at the bottom of the barrel: 91.2 (or how many points you get for every 100 possessions).
Conversely, they are dropping the second fewest points (79.4) in the league this season, which gives them confidence that Chiney Ogwumike (knee) the extra offensive firepower will lead to much-needed victories.
Despite – or, to hear Nneka Ogwumike say, because of – the injuries and losses, the Sparks stay in sync.
« I think all these heavy losses really saved our chemistry, » said the six-time all-star on Sunday night. “It put us to the test and I think it gave people a new focus after the break. … In the few weeks that we have trained together, we have simply stayed in touch and want to continue to do so, because we know that our strength lies in doing our job the way we want it to be. »
We invite you to use our comment platform to have insightful conversations about topics in our community. While we do not pre-examine comments, we reserve the right to remove any information or material that is illegal, threatening, offensive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent, or otherwise objectionable to us, and all Disclose information that is necessary to comply with any law, regulation, or governmental requirement. We can permanently block any user who abuses these terms.
If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the « Report as inappropriate » function by hovering your mouse over the right side of the post and drag the indicated arrow down. Or contact our editors by email at [email protected].
Keywords:
