Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks
· Women's National Basketball AssociationSparks' home skid reaches five after Sky rallies in 4th quarter for 90-86 victory
Chicago (11-15) trailed 74-64 at the start of the final period, but a turnaround jumper from Allen and a Rachel Banham 3-pointer halved the Sky’s deficit just 61 seconds in. Cardoso followed with a layup as Chicago scored the first seven points. Odyssey Sims answered with a layup for Los Angeles (6-20), but Reese had a layup and Cardoso scored twice inside to give the Sky a 77-76 lead with 6:35 left to play.
Stephanie Talbot pulled the Sparks even at 79 with a 3-pointer at the 4:43 mark. Reese hit 1 of 2 free throws to give Chicago the lead, Michaela Onyenwere followed with a layup and the Sky never trailed again.
Allen made 7 of 11 shots from the floor for Chicago. She added six assists. Cardoso scored 15 points and had 14 rebounds, while Reese tallied 14 points and 11 boards. Banham sank three 3-pointers and scored 14.
Kia Nurse scored 16 to lead the Sparks, who have dropped the last five matchups with the Sky. LA has lost three straight overall. Rickea Jackson and Talbot added 13 points each. Crystal Dangerfield chipped in with 11 points and six assists. Azurá Stevens had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Sparks took their first lead at 20-18 on a layup by Dearica Hamby with 2:51 left in the first quarter. Chennedy Carter had back-to-back baskets to cap a 6-0 run and help the Sky take a 26-25 lead after one period.
Nurse had 13 points by halftime and her 3-pointer with 4:49 left in the second quarter put the Sparks ahead 35-33. Nurse made five straight free throws for a 43-38 advantage. Chicago pulled within a point twice, but Dangerfield hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go to put LA up 46-42 at intermission.
Banham hit a 3-pointer to begin the third quarter for the Sky, but Stevens answered with one of her own and the Sparks maintained a lead. Dana Evans connected from beyond the arc to pull Chicago within 66-64 with 2:06 left in the period. Talbot had three layups in an 8-0 run and LA took a 10-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
UP NEXT
Chicago: Sky travel to play the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
Los Angeles: Sparks hit the road to play the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.
Regular Season Series
CHI wins series 3-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 90 - 86 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 90 - 86 |
| 4th 0.1 |  |
Sparks offensive team rebound | 90 - 86 |
| 4th 0.1 | |
Crystal Dangerfield misses 28-foot three point jumper | 90 - 86 |
| 4th 1.1 | |
Rickea Jackson offensive rebound | 90 - 86 |
Statistics
 CHI |
 LA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 35-72 | FG | 29-74 |
| 48.6 | Field Goal % | 39.2 |
| 4-9 | 3PT | 9-27 |
| 44.4 | Three Point % | 33.3 |
| 16-24 | FT | 19-26 |
| 66.7 | Free Throw % | 73.1 |
| 42 | Rebounds | 33 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 10 |
| 30 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
| 20 | Assists | 23 |
| 4 | Steals | 6 |
| 5 | Blocks | 4 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 2 | Team Turnovers | 2 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 10 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 20 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 19 |
| 6 | Fast Break Points | 8 |
| 50 | Points in Paint | 34 |
| 19 | Fouls | 23 |
| 7 | Largest Lead | 10 |
Game Information
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 16,551 · Capacity:
2024-25 Eastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Atlanta |
- | 14 | W6 | 0.6818182 | 30 |
 New York |
3 | 17 | W3 | 0.6136364 | 27 |
 Indiana |
6 | 20 | W3 | 0.54545456 | 24 |
 Washington |
14 | 28 | L10 | 0.36363637 | 16 |
 Connecticut |
19 | 33 | L2 | 0.25 | 11 |
 Chicago |
20 | 34 | L4 | 0.22727273 | 10 |
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 |
WNBA News
Mercury to face Liberty on the road
Phoenix Mercury (27-17, 13-11 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (27-17, 15-5 Eastern Conference)
Collier, Lynx to face the Valkyries
Minnesota Lynx (34-10, 20-4 Western Conference) at Golden State Valkyries (23-21, 9-15 Western Conference)
Sources: New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart undergoes MRI
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart underwent an MRI and additional testing Monday, sources told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, to examine the left knee injury suffered in Sunday's 76-69 win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Valkyries' Veronica Burton wins WNBA's Most Improved award
Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton won the WNBA's Most Improved Player award, receiving 68 of 72 votes.
Valkyries' Veronica Burton wins Most Improved Player
Valkyries guard Veronica Burton wins Most Improved Player award in a record-setting inaugural season for the franchise.