Sparks’ playoff push begins against first-place Liberty – Daily News

TORRANCE — If the Sparks are going to earn a spot in the WNBA playoffs, a win against the New York Liberty, the league’s top team in the standings, would be the perfect way to begin the second half of season.

It won’t be easy, as 13 of the Sparks’ final 16 regular-season games will be against teams currently slotted into the 12-team league’s eight playoff positions.

In their first game in nearly a month due to the league’s Olympic break, the Sparks will host the Liberty (21-4), in a nationally televised game Thursday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

“I feel like (the Olympic break) was good for us to take a little break and things like that and come back and regroup and know that the start of our season is right now,” Sparks rookie forward Rickea Jackson said. “And if we want it to be longer then we have to make some long strides.”

Rickea Jackson on the LA Sparks playoff push after the WNBA’s Olympic Break, which begins at home against the New York Liberty Thursday night. pic.twitter.com/HPGjJpt27R

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 14, 2024

The Sparks (6-18) are 0-2 against the Liberty (21-4) this season, losing back-to-back road games 93-80 on June 20 and 98-88 on June 22. Sparks All-Star and Olympic bronze medalist Dearica Hamby had a team-high 20 points in the second matchup, but Liberty All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart led her team with a game-high 33 points.

“I think we come back with clearer vision on how to play successfully with our group,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said.

The Sparks will be down to nine active players against the Liberty with Cameron Brink (left knee), Lexie Brown (Crohn’s Disease), Aari McDonald (right foot) and Stephanie Talbot (right foot) sidelined, per the team’s game status report.

Miller’s emphasis for the rest of the season will focus on offensive efficiency, limiting turnovers through better guard play and improved physicality.

Hamby, a three-time All-Star, is leading the team with 19.2 points and 10 rebounds per game. Sparks forward Azurá Stevens is averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in her first four games back from an arm injury. Jackson is averaging 11.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

The Sparks, who sit in 10th place, are four games behind the Chicago Sky for the eighth and final playoff spot. This final six-week stretch comes as the Sparks are staring at the possibility of extending an already franchise-record postseason drought to four seasons.

“A big emphasis,” Jackson said when asked about making the playoffs. “I don’t want to be out of the playoffs. I feel like being my first year here, I want to put us back to where we were, so I definitely feel like it’s a big emphasis and even in practice (Wednesday) I feel like we came back from the break with major focus, the Olympians came back majorly focused. It’s like we didn’t even miss a beat.”

The Sparks, who practiced during the break, have not played since an 89-83 loss to the Seattle Storm on July 16. The team has won just two of its past 10 games.