Indiana fever has arrived in Los Angeles draped in the momentum: five consecutive victories, a talent to win without Caitlin Clark and the lines of Paris. Their tears was proof that they could follow the pace even with their centerpiece of franchise in street clothes.
But another scenario may have been hidden under Indiana.
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The Sparks had torn off six victories during their previous seven outings, probably fueled by the rare luxury to have each piece of their list for the first time in more than a year. And at the end of the night at Crypto.com Arena, they won seven of the eight, the Sparks crushing a 100-91 victory.
“Tonight was a big step in the right direction,” said goalkeeper Kelsey Plum. “It’s an incredible team, and they are as hot as anyone.
Get gap since July 15 with a right -off injury, Clark never touched hardwood on Tuesday. But his presence was impossible to miss.
About an hour before the tip, Clark entered the arena for a wave of cries. Fans have piled up their shoulders against banists and barricades, stretching jerseys, bobblesheads and posters to it for autographs. But once the ball has increased, Clark left its footprint not in ink but as an assistant coach of his fever team.
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For all Clark fire fires, the Sparks (13-15) seized his absence to tear off the control of one of the hottest teams in the league and get closer to a place in the playoffs.
“We have enough pieces and talents to race in the playoff series,” said Sparks coach Lynne Roberts. “We just have to keep up on the gas. As I always say, we have not entered the season by saying that we wanted to beat Indiana at home. We came in the season by saying that we want to do the playoffs.”
Roberts, who spent much of the season juggling with the queues in the middle of the injuries and turnover of alignment, can finally expire, with a healthy start to five, Cameron Brink in uniform and a bench ready to contribute.
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With stable rotations, stable results. Plum fixed the night tempo, stacking 25 points and 11 assists. Around her, the score nucleus of the Sparks – Rickea Jackson corresponding to 25, Dererica Hamby dropping 16 and Azurá Stevens accumulating 19 – kept the buzz on the dashboard. Julie German has directed the synchronization offensive, depositing seven passes to go with five points and eight rebounds.
We all in this room know that she [Plum] Can go for 40 years, “said Roberts,” but she wants to win more than going there for 30. And if you are going 40, that’s what you need to win, then she will. But tonight, she attracted so much attention to the other team’s screening report – as she should – but she … tries to win. »»
Halfway through the first quarter, Brink registered himself, hung a few boards and quickly won a 6-foot Natasha Howard 2 in 2 feet for the first of the five refusals of the night.
“We simply get this chemistry on and off the field,” said Jackson. “But when we play like that and we feed the other’s energy, it’s good, and that’s where we leave our shopping, and that’s when we do not shy because we trust each other.”
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After Rae Burrell turned into an acrobatic lay-up to place the sparks of 32-30, they never relaxed their grip, extending the advance to 90-68 halfway in the third trimester. But Aari McDonald and Kelsey Mitchell sparked a round of 21-5 who, suddenly, had the match uncomfortably tight with less than two minutes to play.
But in a building where the victories were rare, the sparks tightened it and gave it to the faithful of Los Angeles.
Sex toy thrown in the field
A sex toy landed near Sophie Cunningham from Indiana after being thrown from the stands.
The incident occurred with 2:05 to do in the second quarter, with the object landing in the lane near Cunningham, which had expressed social networks, fans for having launched sex toys for other games. The fever forward jumped out of surprise, then Plum kicked him in the stands.
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“I think it’s ridiculous, it’s stupid, it’s stupid,” said Roberts. “It’s also dangerous and players’ safety is number one. Respect the game. All these things. I think it’s really stupid. ”
Plum added that she thought the two teams had done an excellent job “play, don’t pay attention. The referees too, I really appreciate them too, it was like Hey Let’s Go. ”
Cunningham headed for the Sparks bench and laughed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
