The team went to Portland for a WNBA game for the first time since 2002. The Moda Center crowd was very supportive of the reborn Portland Fire. But in the end, the Sparks took the win and went 2-0 in preseason, 85-75.
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“We’re witnessing the growth. For this to be a preseason game and have so many fans there, the energy was there,” Nneka Ogwumike said when asked about the atmosphere in Portland. “I’m happy to play in the league. Very grateful and blessed to play in the league as this expansion becomes a reality… we’re not just expanding (the league) and no one is coming. More and more people want games. More and more people want teams in their city. So I’m grateful to be a part of that.”
Even if it’s preseason and the crowd is interested, the Sparks still had a game to play. They wanted to resolve their roster issues since the team had everyone available for Sunday.
“I thought (the starting lineup) was good,” coach Lynne Roberts said of the new starters for this game. “That was the first time they all played together. Rae (Burrell) and Nneka didn’t play in the last preseason game. They just got the chemistry going. But man, there’s some offensive firepower, and then I think you saw some defensive improvements with that group.”
We are in preseason so something to take into account in this style of play are turnovers. The Sparks had 20 turnovers in each of their two preseason games. These should reduce as the regular season progresses, chemistry improves and rotations adjust.
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“The knife cuts both ways. I want them to play with pace (and) freedom,” Roberts said before the game. “We have a structure to the way we play and there are rules. But there’s also freedom for the players and (in) the previous games, you’ll see more of that. You can’t tell them to play with rhythm and freedom and then yell and scream when they turn it over. That’s counterintuitive. A lot of it is just getting the chemistry. I think we’re deeper this year. I think we have a roster that will naturally take care of the ball a little better. 20 turnovers. That’s too many.”
But beyond the turnovers, the offense seems connected. 22 of his 26 field goals were assisted. Additionally, they went to the line 32 times (making 24 of those free throws).
“Offensively, we will always focus on pace, spacing and shot quality,” Roberts said of the offense. “We led the league in pace last year. We were in the top two or three in every offensive category, which is incredible. We don’t want to deviate from that. So we’re just going to push ourselves and be better at those things than we were last year. No matter who we’re playing (or) what time in the season, whether it’s preseason or playoffs (or) everything else; we’re going to focus on pace, space and making the best shots we can.”
Ogwumike led the team with 17 points, while Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum had 13 each. Rae Burrell led the plus-minus at +24 as she continues to impact the Sparks’ game in other ways. Nyadiew Pouch and Serah Williams scored 12 each for the injury-plagued Fire.
The exhibition games are over and the real thing begins for the Sparks on Sunday, May 10 when they take on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in their season opener at home.