Sparks Stifle Liberty Out West

Excessive turnovers led to the New York Liberty dropping a late-night heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) is defended by LA Sparks forward Azura Stevens (23) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Liberty's California dream became a nightmare on Wednesday night.

New York dropped the penultimate part of a three-game road trip at Crypto.com Arena, falling to the cellar-dwelling Los Angeles Sparks by a 94-88 final. The Liberty, missing out on a golden opportunity to expand their lead in the chase for first place on the WNBA leaderboard, have now dropped two out of three and failed to pull off a four-game sweep of the Sparks.

New York played without the services of Jonquel Jones, who was a late scratch due to an illness.

Still missing rookie sensation Cameron Brink, the Sparks enjoyed contributions from their lingering young talents: Rae Burrell and Rickea Jackson united for 37 points, most of it earned on a combined seven three-pointers. Veteran Dearica Hamby put in her usual workload, leading Los Angeles with 21 points alongside six rebounds and five assists.

But the Liberty's biggest rival resided in their mirrors: the team once again had trouble taking care of the ball, losing nine in the first period alone as they fell into an early hole that they never truly escaped. Los Angeles (7-24) led by 10 after the first period and inflated it to as much as 14 in the second.

The Liberty (26-6) did take a brief two-point lead in the final stages of the third but further losses prevented them from keeping it. Six different players in the New York rotation had at least two turnovers, building a final total of 20. That yielded 29 points for the Sparks, who now own three victories over last year's WNBA finalists from New York and Las Vegas. Los Angeles also ended a seven-game losing streak, the longest in the W entering Wednesday night play.

Thus wasted in the Liberty effort were several seafoam milestones: by leading the team with 32 points, Breanna Stewart became the 11th New Yorker to score at least 1,500 in seafoam. Nyara Sabally earned starting duties in the second half in place of Jones and responded with her first career double-double at 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu had 18 points and six assists, passing Vickie Johnson for the second-most in the latter category on the all-time Liberty ledgers.

The Liberty's three-game western swing closes on Friday when they head to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, Ion).

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