Sun aim to improve playoff spot, clash with Sparks
The Connecticut Sun look to stay in the hunt for a top-two seed in the WNBA playoffs on Thursday when they play the second of two games in Los Angeles against the Sparks.
Connecticut (23-11) remained a game behind Las Vegas for the league’s No. 2 spot with a 97-71 rout of Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Aces beat Atlanta earlier in the night, 97-90.
All 10 Sun players scored in the blowout win, including five in double figures. Jonquel Jones’ 21 points led the way. She also added 10 rebounds to post her fourth consecutive double-double.
Odyssey Sims, who Connecticut signed to a seven-day contract last week, contributed seven points, four assists and three steals off the bench. Her play reflected the vote of confidence Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller offered prior to Tuesday’s game.
“I’m excited about her. I think she gives us another on-ball defender,” he said. “We really felt we needed a veteran guard off the bench. … We really explored Odyssey a lot in the offseason.
“We had our eye on her for a long time,” he added.
Los Angeles (13-21) continued its slide, with Tuesday marking the Sparks’ seventh loss in their last eight games. Their return from a four-game road swing was complicated due to a flight delay in Washington D.C.
“When things get hard, sometimes it’s easy to focus more so on what’s going on with my situation,” Nneka Ogwumike said following her 16-point performance on Tuesday. “That’s something I think we can be better at in this next game on Thursday and also on Sunday.”
Los Angeles has two games remaining and is a game back for the final playoff spot. However, the Sparks are looking up at eighth-place Atlanta, as well as New York and Minnesota — both of which own the tiebreaker over Los Angeles by virtue of winning the season series.
