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Sparks-Silver Stars Preview

Jul 17, 2010 - 6:17 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Los Angeles (5-14) at San Antonio (6-12), 3:00 p.m. EDT

It has been a season full of struggles for the Los Angeles Sparks, but the San Antonio Silver Stars' problems may be even more severe at the moment.

The sputtering Silver Stars look to end a disheartening three-game losing streak as they host the Sparks on Sunday.

With 2008 league MVP Candace Parker out for the season with a shoulder injury, Los Angeles (5-14) has encountered major problems.

The Sparks' 80-68 loss at Chicago on Friday night was their seventh in the last nine games, but they're still in the hunt for a playoff spot thanks to the struggles of several other Western Conference clubs.

That includes San Antonio, which is currently fourth in the West despite its current slide.

The Silver Stars (6-12) suffered blowout losses at Minnesota and Chicago during their recent road trip, then fell 75-70 at home to WNBA-worst Tulsa on Friday as the Shock snapped their 12-game losing streak.

"Right now, I don't like the taste of this," San Antonio's Chamique Holdsclaw said. "We're all disappointed, but you know, like coach (Sandy Brondello) said, if we hang our heads, they will continue to hang for the next two or three games. We just have to shake this off and continue to move forward."

Even though Sophia Young, Becky Hammon and Holdsclaw rank among the top 25 in the league in scoring, the Silver Stars are still last in the WNBA with 73.5 points per game.

They've also had problems defensively, with opponents shooting 45.9 percent from the field - the league's worst in that category. Each of San Antonio's last three opponents have shot at least 50 percent, with Tulsa hitting 30 of 56 (53.6 percent).

The Sparks hope to take advantage, but they'll almost certainly have to get off to a better start than in Chicago. Los Angeles fell behind 22-14 after one quarter and trailed by double digits for most of the game despite 21 points from DeLisha Milton-Jones.

The Sky's 39-23 rebounding advantage was perhaps the biggest factor.

"We didn't come out in the first half with the energy that we needed to and we did not match their intensity," Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom said. "They did a really good job on the boards tonight and we didn't."

The Sparks slipped to 1-8 on the road, including an 88-81 loss at San Antonio on May 22. Los Angeles beat the Silver Stars 73-63 at home July 1.