LOS ANGELES — Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson scored 16 of her game-high 25 points in the first quarter and finished with 12 rebounds, as the Sparks found themselves in a double-digit hole early and were blown out 97-78 – their sixth consecutive loss – on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The short-handed Sparks (7-13), who trailed 54-31 by halftime and finished with 16 turnovers, were overmatched and head into this weekend’s WNBA All-Star break having lost nine of their past 11 games.
The Sparks were led by forward Azurá Stevens, who finished with a team-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, for her second double-double of the season. All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike was the only other Spark to score in double figures with 20 points on 10-for-15 shooting and 11 rebounds for her 11th double-double.
The Aces (19-2) shot 54.4% from the field and had strong performances from Wilson (her 13th double-double on 9-for-14 shooting) and fellow All-Star guards Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. Plum had 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Young finished with 14 points and five assists, and Gray added 16 points and five assists, several of which were of the no-look variety. Aces forward Candace Parker sat out her third consecutive game with a left foot injury.
The Sparks trailed 32-15 after the first quarter. Wilson had 16 points and five rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game. The 6-foot-4 two-time league MVP and WNBA All-Star game captain made seven of her first eight shots.
The Sparks found themselves down by as much as 26 points in the second quarter, but they used a 10-1 run early in the third quarter to get within 55-41. That was the closest they would get the rest of the night, though, as the Aces countered with a 7-2 run to push their lead back to 62-43 lead with 4:47 left in the third.
The Sparks trailed 80-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
With a rotation of just nine players due to Layshia Clarendon (foot), Chiney Ogwumike (foot), Nia Clouden (knee) and Lexie Brown (non-COVID illness) recovering from injuries and illness, the Sparks were focused on execution, energy, and effort in their matchup with the top team in the league.
“It’s executing the gameplan, coming out fighting, competing, giving energy to each other,” Sparks guard Jordin Canada said before the game.
The Sparks next play at the Minnesota Lynx (9-11) on Thursday, July 20.
