TORRANCE \u2014 The Sparks believe a modicum of momentum is all they need to turn around their season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always going to believe in what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Sparks forward Cameron Brink said.<\/p>\n
However, they will once again have to do it without All-Star reserve guard Kelsey Plum (averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game), who will miss her 10th consecutive game on Wednesday at noon when the Sparks face the Phoenix Mercury at Crypto.com Arena.<\/p>\n
It will also be the team\u2019s last opportunity to get back in the win column before taking the rest of the week off for the WNBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Saturday in Chicago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to be desperate to play for a win,\u201d Sparks coach Lynne Roberts at the team\u2019s practice facility on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The Sparks are 2-7 without Plum since June 21, with their only two wins coming at home against the Indiana Fever on July 8 and the Chicago Sky on July 10. Since then, Brink has played in the last three games after missing a month while recovering from a sprained ankle injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very much an orchestra as a team,\u201d Brink said. \u201cPeople are going to have different solos, different nights, so you just have to clap and be excited for your teammate if it\u2019s their night and know your time is going to come the next game or the game after.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-4 forward is averaging 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game while on a minutes restriction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt great,\u201d Brink said. \u201cIt felt like too long on my end, but just thankful for our medical staff. They\u2019re the best. I\u2019m just happy to be back playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brink, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 draft, is also shooting a career-high 35.7% from 3-point range.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels really good,\u201d Brink explained. \u201cI\u2019ve been putting a lot of work into it. Just reps every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a unicorn out there,\u201d Roberts added. \u201cWe need to continue to build up her minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sparks (10-15) are on a four-game losing streak, all coming during last week\u2019s road trip against Atlanta, Minnesota, Chicago and Dallas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we didn\u2019t quit on any games,\u201d said Sparks guard Rae Burrell, who is averaging a career-high 12.7 points per game. \u201cI feel like our fight is there.\u201d<\/p>\n
All-Star reserve forward Nneka Ogwumike, the franchise\u2019s newly minted all-time leading scorer, led the way against Dallas with 17 points and 10 rebounds, for her 11th double-double of the season, including three straight.<\/p>\n
However, the Sparks are in 10th place in the 15-team league. With 19 games left in the regular season, they are three games back of the Washington Mystics for the league\u2019s eighth and final playoff spot. The Sparks have missed the postseason for a franchise-record five consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goals are still in front of us, in terms of making the playoffs, but we have to start now,\u201d Roberts explained.<\/p>\n
The Sparks are 2-0 against Phoenix this season. Both victories were away games, including a 97-88 victory, which was their first road win of the season<\/a> on May 21, and a 111-102 overtime win on June 13<\/a>, a game in which Kelsey Plum scored a career-high 43 points.<\/p>\n \u201cNot being complacent,\u201d Brink continued. \u201cIt\u2019s tough playing a team three times, four times, five times, so just coming out with that same tenacity. Sticking to our game plan. Communicating with each other, making sure we\u2019re huddling during dead periods on the court. Just being locked in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have our plan set so it\u2019s really about execution at this point,\u201d Burrell added.<\/p>\n Plum has only played in two games since and has missed the last nine games with a leg injury, which was originally expected to be re-evaluated after a possible four-week recovery timeline, which should be sometime this week.<\/p>\n The Mercury (9-18, 13th) are coming off a 72-63 win against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, which ended a five-game losing streak. Forward DeWanna Bonner scored a season-high 21 points.<\/p>\n MERCURY (9-18) AT SPARKS (10-15)<\/p>\n When: Wednesday, noon<\/p>\n Where: Crypto.com Arena<\/p>\n TV: Spectrum SportsNet<\/p>\n LA Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts told me Kelsey Plum will not play in Wednesday\u2019s home game against the Phoenix Mercury. <\/p>\n Plum will miss her 10th straight game but is in the load building phase needed before a player returns to action from a muscle injury in her lower leg. pic.twitter.com\/VTPln41nHJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t