The New York Liberty will attempt to grab their sixth win in seven games when they visit the Los Angeles Sparks for the second time in as many games on Tuesday night.
New York (19-6) bounced back from Friday’s loss to Minnesota with an 87-79 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday. The Liberty jumped ahead 25-11 by the end of the first quarter and led 51-35 at the half, building more than enough of a cushion to withstand the Sparks’ furious 29-point fourth quarter.
Breanna Stewart’s 25 points and nine rebounds paced New York, while Jonquel Jones added a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu played a balanced game with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Marine Johannes added 15 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
“We did a better job moving the ball and getting everyone involved compared to the last game,” Johannes said. “When we have this (ball-movement) offense, I think we can do something great all together.”
The Liberty had assists on 26 of their 32 made field goals against Los Angeles. Although 20 of their 26 made field goals in Minnesota were assisted, the Liberty shot just 36.1 percent from the floor versus the Lynx compared to 45.7 percent against the Sparks.
Los Angeles (9-16) came into Sunday’s contest on a two-game winning streak after snapping a franchise-record eight-game skid. Both of the Sparks’ victories came against the Indiana Fever.
The Sparks’ offense, which averages the second-fewest points per game of 12 teams in the WNBA at 78.5, could not keep pace with the league’s second-most prolific scoring unit in New York, which averages 88.6 points a contest.
“They just were running in transition, getting out quick,” Los Angeles forward Azura Stevens said. “(New York) was getting downhill, spreading the ball, so we just got to find a way to contain that.”
Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike scored just 10 points in Sunday’s loss, dropping her season average to 19.9 points per game.
–Field Level Media
