Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx – WNBA Game Preview
On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Sparks look to avoid their third consecutive defeat when they face the red-hot Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. The Lynx, on the other hand, will try to maintain their top position in the Western
Conference.
Focussing on the upcoming fixture, Lynx forward Maya Moore said, "We just have to stay focused," "I think it is a really special year for us. We have the pieces that we need for a championship team. It's just a matter of locking
in."
In their last game on June 5, Minnesota snapped their nine-game losing streak against the Sparks with an impressive 86-69 victory. Lynx guard forward Seimone Augustus topped all the scorers on the night with 17 points on a 7 for
15 shooting from the field. Augustus also grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots. Rebekkah Brunson recorded her second consecutive double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds and 10 points. Kristi Toliver came off the bench to lead the Sparks with 13 points
while Tina Thompson and Candace Parker each added 11 points in the loss.
Minnesota headed into the WNBA All-Star Weekend on a roll. They are hoping that success carries over as they try to solve the Los Angeles quandary. Additionally, they have a home court advantage and their performance at home is
quiet good this season with a 5-2 record.
Lynx rose to a 10-4 record after defeating the Phoenix Mercury 106-98 at US Airways Center. With this victory, Minnesota not only halted a six-game winning streak of Mercury, but moved a half-game ahead of them in the West. Augustus
scored a season high-tying 25 points, including 15 of them in the second half, and grabbed six assists. The 27-year-old guard forward shot 11 for 15 from the field. Maya Moore, Rebekkah Brunson and Taj McWilliams-Franklin racked up 14 points apiece for Lynx.
All-Star Brunson has huge responsibilities on her shoulders as she is averaging a career-best 13.4 points and a WNBA-leading 10.8 rebounds per game so far in this season. The 29-year-old, who was the WNBA Champion
for 2005, contributed 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals for the West. Lynx will be hoping to get much of the same from her on Tuesday night.
The Sparks on the other hand are second last in the Western Conference, five games ahead of the league-worse Tulsa Shock. They are 6-8 so far in the current season. In addition to their poor performance, the record of Los Angeles
on the road is not up to the mark at a poor 2-6.
In their last contest on July 18, they lost their second straight game with a 79-69 defeat to the San Antonio Silver Stars at Staples Center. The Sparks shot just 31.8 percent from the field and allowed the Silver Stars to shot
45.3 percent. Jantel Lavender and Natasha Lacy came off the bench with 14 points each to lead Los Angeles. Kristi Toliver, who is averaging 12.9 points per game, was limited to just three.
However, in the second half of the season, they are 0-0 and still have a chance to save their season. They started the season 4-1 and have a great chance to build some momentum on Tuesday.
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