“That was ugly." The Los Angeles Sparks come up short in a foul heavy game
- Jackie Rae
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Los Angeles Sparks looked nothing like the team that stormed past the Toronto Tempo on Friday night.
In Friday’s 99-95 win, the Sparks played with aggression, pace and confidence. Sunday’s rematch exposed a far more familiar problem: inconsistency.
Before tipoff, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts made it clear what she wanted to see from her team.
“I want to play 40 minutes,” Roberts said.
Instead, the Sparks spent most of Sunday chasing the game.
Kelsey Plum opened the scoring for Los Angeles, but Toronto immediately answered when Brittney Sykes drilled a three-pointer that set the tone for the afternoon. The Tempo played faster, more physical and far more composed early, forcing the Sparks to fight for nearly every possession.
The difference early came at the free-throw line.
Toronto relentlessly attacked the paint and capitalized on nearly every whistle, opening the game 10-for-10 from the line while the Sparks struggled to keep pace offensively.
One of the loudest moments of the first half had nothing to do with the scoreboard. During Asian American Pacific Islander Night, Jihyun Park checked into the game and scored her first regular-season WNBA points off an assist from Dearica Hamby, drawing a roaring ovation from the home crowd.
But emotionally charged moments could not cover up the Sparks’ defensive lapses. Late in the second quarter, Los Angeles trailed 43-39 as Toronto continued exposing breakdowns in transition and half-court defense.
Kate Martin delivered an immediate spark off the bench with a three-pointer, but the Sparks still had no answer for Sykes, who led all scorers with 14 first-half points.
Plum was held scoreless in the second quarter, and Los Angeles entered halftime trailing 49-40. The numbers at the break reflected exactly how the game was unfolding. Toronto dominated the free-throw battle, going 14-of-16 compared to the Sparks’ 8-of-11 mark, while also controlling the perimeter as Los Angeles struggled to establish any rhythm from beyond the arc.
Things only became more chaotic in the third quarter.
Rae Burrell picked up her fifth foul and headed to the bench as the Sparks fell behind 65-49. Moments later, Cameron Brink was called for a foul defending Sykes, prompting Roberts to challenge the play. The challenge failed, despite replays appearing to show Brink maintained legal guarding position.
The whistles never stopped.
A hard foul by Kiki Rice on Plum late in the third quarter finally seemed to inject some emotion back into Los Angeles as the Sparks tried clawing back from a 71-59 deficit entering the fourth.
By then, fouls had become the game’s identity. Toronto had three players carrying four fouls entering the final quarter. Burrell had five. Erica Wheeler had four. Dearica Hamby had three.
The constant stoppages prevented either team from establishing sustained momentum, turning stretches of the game into a free-throw contest rather than a basketball game. By the final buzzer, officials had called 59 fouls combined — 32 against the Sparks and 27 against Toronto.
“That was ugly,” Roberts said afterward about the officiating. “I get it they’re trying to clean it up. But it’s painful.”
Still, there were bright spots. Martin continued building chemistry with the Sparks rotation, finishing with 11 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Plum praised her impact after the game.
“She’s a super smart player,” Plum said. “I’m excited to play with Money Martin again.”
Toronto closed out the 106-96 win, handing the Sparks another frustrating reminder that flashes of potential mean little without consistency.
And the schedule offers no relief. The Sparks now turn their attention to a difficult stretch against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday and the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday — two teams that will punish the same defensive breakdowns and inconsistency that plagued Los Angeles all afternoon.
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