Phoenix Mercury at Los Angeles Sparks
· WNBA Commissioner's CupLA Sparks defeat Griner, Mercury 94-71 in WNBA season opener
Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in 25 minutes. She has been free since December when she was part of a high-profile prisoner swap after spending months in a Russian jail.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
Cooke shot 5 of 6 from the floor and made both her 3-pointers in her league debut in front of Dawn Staley, her former college coach. Cooke was taken 10th overall by the Sparks in the draft after starring at South Carolina.
The Sparks led 54-41 at halftime, having pulled away in the second quarter after what began as a close game.
Chiney Ogwumike added 15 points for the Sparks, who had five players in double figures.
Among those in attendance were Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, Byron Scott, Robert Horry, Billie Jean King and Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham. Vice President Kamala Harris visited both teams in their locker rooms before the game.
Regular Season Series
LA wins series 3-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 71 - 94 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 71 - 94 |
| 4th 8.0 |  |
Sug Sutton makes 4-foot driving floating jump shot | 71 - 94 |
| 4th 16.0 | |
Michaela Onyenwere defensive rebound | 69 - 94 |
| 4th 20.1 |  |
Lexie Brown misses 14-foot jumper | 69 - 94 |
Statistics
 PHX |
 LA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-59 | FG | 29-73 |
| 41 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 6-20 | 3PT | 9-22 |
| 30 | Three Point % | 41 |
| 17-20 | FT | 27-29 |
| 85 | Free Throw % | 93 |
| 34 | Rebounds | 32 |
| 6 | Offensive Rebounds | 11 |
| 28 | Defensive Rebounds | 21 |
| 18 | Assists | 20 |
| 2 | Steals | 10 |
| 8 | Blocks | 2 |
| 19 | Turnovers | 6 |
| 3 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 22 | Total Turnovers | 7 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 23 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 9 |
| 5 | Fast Break Points | 10 |
| 24 | Points in Paint | 34 |
| 20 | Fouls | 19 |
| 11 | Largest Lead | 27 |
Game Information
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 10,396 · Capacity:
2024-25 Western Conference Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Minnesota |
- | 10 | W1 | 0.77272725 | 34 |
 Las Vegas |
4 | 14 | W16 | 0.6818182 | 30 |
 Phoenix |
7 | 17 | L3 | 0.6136364 | 27 |
 Seattle |
11 | 21 | W1 | 0.52272725 | 23 |
 Golden State |
11 | 21 | L3 | 0.52272725 | 23 |
 Los Angeles |
13 | 23 | L1 | 0.47727272 | 21 |
 Dallas |
24 | 34 | W1 | 0.22727273 | 10 |
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