• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Sparks-Silver Stars Preview

May 21, 2010 - 10:19 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Los Angeles (0-2) at San Antonio (1-1), 8:00 p.m. EDT

If the Los Angeles Sparks are going to avoid the first 0-3 start in franchise history, they'll have to win on the road.

The Sparks close their season-opening trip Saturday when they face a San Antonio Silver Stars team which just welcomed Chamique Holdsclaw into the mix.

Holdsclaw, released by Atlanta on Wednesday after requesting a trade, was signed by San Antonio on Friday. It's unclear if the six-time All-Star, who has averaged 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in 10 seasons, will make her Silver Stars debut in this contest.

It's likely Holdsclaw at least will be on hand as San Antonio tries to post its first home win of the season and keep the Sparks winless.

Sunday's 81-67 loss at Seattle dropped Los Angeles to 0-2 for the first time since 1997, when the Sparks lost the first two games in team history. Los Angeles won three of its next four games that season and finished 14-14.

The Sparks, though, are looking for much more than a .500 season in 2010, and they were not making excuses after playing for a second consecutive day Sunday.

"There was no fatigue. It was all mental," Candace Parker said after the Sparks were outscored 22-5 in the final eight minutes. "We just didn't execute down the stretch."

After finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 78-77 loss to defending champion Phoenix, Parker struggled against Storm veteran Lauren Jackson, grabbing 11 boards but scoring 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

"I thought she played pretty tough, but all that is going to do is get Candace better," said Sparks first-year coach Jennifer Gillom, whose team plays four of its next five at home following Saturday's game.

San Antonio (1-1) will likely counter the 2008 MVP with 6-foot-5 center Michelle Snow. Held to 11 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 75-70 season-opening loss to visiting Atlanta, Snow scored 13 points and grabbed 15 boards in Thursday's 83-74 win at Tulsa.

The Silver Stars outrebounded the Shock 41-31.

"I think the difference in the fourth quarter was that we got a couple more stops and were able to stay in play, contest shots and got a couple of rebounds," San Antonio first-year coach Sandy Brondello said.

Two difference makers for the Silver Stars on Saturday could be All-Stars Sophia Young and Becky Hammon.

Young, who hit 11 of 16 shots and led San Antonio with 23 points Thursday, scored 18.3 per game as San Antonio and Los Angeles split four meetings last season. Each team won once on the other's home court.

Hammon, fifth in the league in scoring last season with 19.5 points per game, was held to an average of 12.3 in the final three meetings with the Sparks last season and the Silver Stars lost two. She missed a potential game-winning layup in a 67-66 overtime loss to Los Angeles on Aug. 16 as the Silver Stars suffered their first home loss in the series since July 26, 2006.

The last time San Antonio dropped its first two home games was 2006.