Two days after an impressive victory, the Los Angeles Sparks ran it back against the Phoenix Mercury with much worse results, losing 80-66.
From the opening tip, the Sparks couldn’t find any rhythm on offense. They were stagnant, often relying on isolations with no second option when the play didn’t work. After perhaps their best offensive performance of the season on Wednesday, L.A. didn’t have a single quarter in which they hit the 20-point mark on Friday.
The difference was stark. The Sparks were the hunter on Wednesday, and the prey to the same team on Friday.