Sparks rise to the challenge without star
Sparks center Lisa Leslie made her way to the locker room on crutches with a television camera locked in on her every move.
It was a visual reminder of what the Sparks will be missing for at least six games after Leslie, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, sprained her right knee Friday in the first quarter against Phoenix.
As backup guard Noelle Quinn said, “Nobody is going to do what Lisa does. Everybody has to do what they do great, but even better.”
That’s exactly what happened in the Sparks’ 67-47 victory over Sacramento in front of 9,494 Sunday at Staples Center, which broke their four-game losing streak. The Sparks’ (2-4) victory leaves the Monarchs (1-5) at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but they have a long way to go before matching the Mercury, tied for the conference lead at 5-2. But, as guard Shannon Bobbitt said, “Winning is contagious.”
The road to recovery apparently will have to be done without Leslie through at least July 11, though she said, “Every day I hope to get back.”
And no, don’t expect forward Candace Parker to make an earlier return from her maternity leave.
“We knew Candace’s timetable would be on her time,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. “Obviously we’d like her. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want her to come back sooner. “
But the players Cooper had Sunday did enough to get back on the winning track.
“This is the way we want to feel all the time,” said guard Betty Lennox, who had 10 points, eight rebounds and was five of 10 from the field. “To feel that way, we have to go out and play the way we did.”
That entailed multiple players contributing.
Center Vanessa Hayden commanded the post early and used what Cooper called her “good touch” to score eight of her 12 points in the first quarter.
“I’ve played against the best player in the world every day in practice until she was injured,” Hayden said of Leslie. “When I play someone else, it shouldn’t be as hard. If I can play with her consistently in practice, I can do it with anybody in the league.”
The Monarchs shot only 25.8% from the field. Forward Nicole Powell was the only Sacramento player in double figures, scoring 13 points but on five-for-15 shooting.
Meanwhile, Bobbitt’s five points in the last 3:23 of the first quarter sparked a 12-4 run en route to a 22-11 lead.
The Sparks never dropped to a single-digit lead afterward. Guard Marie Ferdinand-Harris penetrated the wing and found open spot-up jumpers for 10 second-quarter points.
“My mind-set was to be aggressive, assertive and to bring energy,” Ferdinand-Harris said. “We needed a win tonight.”
This all happened without Leslie, but her influence still lingered.
She sat next to Parker on the team bench and offered advice to players such as Lennox, who started the first half going 0 for 4 from the field. Leslie advised her to drive to the basket to force the defense on its heels. Lennox responded with 10 points in the second half and finished five for 10 overall.
While Cooper fluctuated between a post and a guard-oriented unit, forward Tina Thompson posted a dependable 12 points thanks to constant pick-and-rolls in both lineups.
“We’re depleted a little bit in the post,” Thompson said. “I think we’re definitely going to be more guard oriented until Lisa or Candace comes back.”
Until then, the Sparks want contributions from everyone.
The team is mindful to try to avoid what happened six years ago, when Leslie also suffered a knee injury in the 2003 All-Star game and missed 11 games. The Sparks went 4-7 in her absence.
Despite the obstacles, Cooper believes the Sparks can rebound from a poor start without two of their Olympians.
“We’re going to get in trouble when we do try to do things on our own,” Cooper said. “This team is too good for that.”
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