Final - OT
Shock-Sparks Preview
Jul 21, 2010 - 8:46 PM By SAMANTHA PANITCH STATS WriterTulsa (4-17) at Los Angeles (6-15), 3:00 p.m. EDT
The Tulsa Shock and Los Angeles Sparks have been two of the most successful franchises in WNBA history, combining for five championships.
When they square off Tuesday at Staples Center, though, it will be a matchup involving the bottom two teams in the Western Conference.
A lot has gone wrong for Los Angeles (5-15) this season, most notably the loss of All-Star Candace Parker for the year due to a shoulder injury in June. The Sparks are now looking to a crop of experienced players to step up and help them avoid missing the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history.
Tina Thompson did all she could in an 83-73 loss to San Antonio on Saturday. The 13-year veteran scored 17 of her 23 points during a fourth-quarter rally that allowed Los Angeles to cut a 17-point deficit to five.
She was not pleased with her team's latest performance, which included 23 turnovers leading to 25 Silver Stars points.
"We played hard, but we played hard and wrong," Thompson said. "When you don't play the right way, it's just tough. If we are not in the right places at the right time, it's kind of a wasted effort."
The Sparks have lost four of their last five games with the only win coming over the league-worst Shock (4-16) last Tuesday. Thompson again led the way with 24 points and Delisha Milton-Jones added 17 to lead Los Angeles to a 87-71 victory.
After winning three WNBA championships in Detroit, the Shock have had a rough inaugural season since relocating.
They ended a 12-game losing streak Friday at San Antonio before a 97-88 defeat at Phoenix on Saturday. Scholanda Robinson had a team-high 15 points, and Ivory Latta scored 11 in her fourth game after rejoining the franchise on July 6.
The former North Carolina star averaged 3.0 points in 31 games with Detroit in 2007. After spending the last two years with Atlanta, the guard joined Tulsa on May 7, but was released before the season started.
Despite their dismal records, Los Angeles and Tulsa are not out of the playoff picture quite yet.
The Sparks are 2 1/2 games and the Shock 3 1/2 behind fourth-place Minnesota. At 18-2, Seattle is the only team in the West with a winning record and the remaining five teams are separated by four games.
- WNBA
TULSA 83
LOS ANGELES 86 FINAL IN 1ST OT
Jul 20 5:28 PM - 125
roots - WNBA
TULSA 21
LOS ANGELES 20 END, 1ST QTR
Jul 20 3:21 PM
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