The Los Angeles Sparks entered their Sunday night game against the Seattle Storm — the last regular season game at home this year — needing a victory to stay alive in the race for the WNBA playoffs. The Washington Mystics, currently clinging to the eighth and final seed, won earlier in the day, meaning a Sparks loss would eliminate them from playoff contention.
All you can do with a team on the verge of elimination is hope they play with urgency befitting their situation, and that’s precisely what L.A. did.
The Sparks, gifted a Seattle team playing without 2018 WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, jumped on Seattle, particularly on the defensive end.