Sparks go quietly in loud loss to first-place Lynx

LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t hostile but ear-splitting nonetheless. A cauldron of raucous sound in Crypto.com Arena, a steady drum of piercing noise. Well, high-pitched screams, to be more exact.

Thousands of children poured in on Kids Day for the Sparks’ game on Thursday afternoon, but the Minnesota Lynx didn’t care who was in the stands as Napheesa Collier led the WNBA’s first-place team, playing the second game of a back-to-back set, to a 91-82 win.

The Sparks (6-14) rode the wave of loud fan support to a 16-0 run early in the first quarter. By the close of the third quarter, they were trailing by 21 points. A 17-0 run from the end of the third period into the fourth wasn’t even enough to bring them back.

A 22-10 turnover differential, combined with the Lynx’s top-rated defense under Coach Cheryl Reeve, proved an insurmountable formula for the Sparks.

“Minnesota’s good,” Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said during the week leading up to the game. “They’re a machine. Cheryl Reeve is the matriarch of the league, and just does an unbelievable job. They’re so disciplined, they play so hard.”

The turnovers manifested as 22 more shot attempts for the Lynx and 23 points off turnovers, the Sparks allowing a litany of free opportunities to a team that’s already top three in the WNBA in scoring.

“If you give the best team in the league easy run-out layups, it’s tough,” Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said. “We dug ourselves a hole, and they do a good job of protecting the pain. We just have to handle it better.”

On the week the WNBA’s All-Star teams were announced, Collier led her league-leading Lynx (18-3) on to the court as the league’s most potent scorer at 23.9 per game. She’ll be joined by teammate Courtney Williams in the All-Star festivities July 19 in Indiana.

However, it wasn’t either of the front-runners who initially powered Minnesota in the first half. Guard Natisha Hiedeman poured in 16 first-half points to spearhead the Lynx.

The Sparks regularly double- and triple-teamed Collier in the paint, leaving open opportunities for others on kick-outs. Heideman proved the greatest benefactor, hitting two first-quarter 3-pointers and finishing with 18 points.

“You’re not going to hold (Collier) to zero,” Roberts said before the game. “With a player like that, you have to do the best job you can with adjustments so that she doesn’t just get into rhythm and stay in rhythm. If you let her get comfortable, then you’re in trouble.”

By the second half, as the piercing screams began to subside, Collier did find more comfort.

But not a wealth of it.

After scoring just eight in the first half, the MVP front-runner eventually finished with 17 points with eight rebounds and five assists, but shot only 42% from the field and missed all six 3-point attempts.

The Sparks’ lone All-Star, Kelsey Plum, showed her star pedigree, scoring 17 points with three 3-pointers. It wasn’t enough to send the young fans home happy.

The Sparks’ newest addition, 32-year-old guard Julie Vanloo, provided a flicker of hope from the perimeter. All 15 of her points came on 3-point shots (5 for 7).

Waived by the Golden State Valkyries and signed by the Sparks a day later, Vanloo arrived with one clear mission: Shoot. And in her Crypto debut, she did exactly that.

“It’s been a rough week for me,” Vanloo said. “I’m trying to settle in a little bit. I’m just ready to shoot it and help the team where I can. I can get hot really quickly. That’s what I’m going for, and I’m happy I could do that today.”

Even as the score swayed to the visitors, she and Plum and the rest of the Sparks had constant innocent shrieks at their backs. A reported 18,199 in attendance, with the largest contingent younger than 15, created a noisy environment.

“It’s a great environment (with all) the kids,” Plum said. “I remember coming to these games when I was a kid, and it just made a big impact on me. It’s super important. It was fun.”

With the loss, the Sparks dropped to 3-7 in their last 10 games and are in 11th place in the 13-team league.

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