The Los Angeles Sparks pulled away in the second half to beat the Chicago Sky, 76-64 on Sunday. The Sky's shooting was uninspiring. They were a mere 23-for-71 from the field, and had an offensive rating of 85 which was way below their league-leading 105.7 ORTG in the season. The Sparks, on the other hand, executed well on both sides of the floor.
The Sparks were ahead by only 3 entering the second half, 38-35 but started making a run when they countered the Sky's zone defense with good movement without the leather and the impressive playmaking ability of Candace Parker.
The Sky struggled in the first half although they were in it. At that point I wondered if they could have put more Allie Quigley in the three spot to lure the defense out and space the floor.
Well, they did use in the third quarter, and switched on a zone defense. However, that undersized roster spelled doom for them as Los Angeles started to create separation.
How they countered it was simple: no one stayed inside. Everyone was outside, drawing the defense out as well and opening the lanes.
Parker facilitated from the high-post and was impressive in distributing/reading. Since Jantel Lavender possesses a good touch from mid-range, her defender respected her. Nneka Ogwumike meanwhile had Quigley on her, and it was too easy for her to cut to the basket.
Parker saw these flash cuts or backdoor cuts and rewarded her teammates. During the stretch, Parker assisted baskets from Ogwumike and Lavender several times.
There was a high-low play, a front cut where Parker hit a diving Lavender, and a neat shovel pass to Ogwumike inside.
From a slim 44-41 margin, the Sparks were able to pull away, 55-45. They led by 14, 61-47 after the third quarter. The Sky were never able to threaten after that point.
Parker finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and and a career-high 10 assists. Ogwumike and Lavender combined for 27 points while Kristi Toliver added 16.
The Sparks were also excellent on defense. They gave Elena Delle Donne different looks. Ogwumike was impressive in cutting her lane and not allowing too deep of an attack. Help defense also packed the paint as there was no need to stretch the floor against units which did not have enough shooters.
Delle Donne managed to chip in 23 points and 8 rebounds although she settled for contested, off-balanced jumpers, and was 7-for-19 from the field.
It was just difficult for her to get past one tower and then have another tower in front of her for the entire match. That is where the Sparks are effective in utilizing their huge frontline.
64 was the second lowest output of the Sky this season, only better than 63 when they struggled twice against the New York Liberty.
It's game day! The Sparks tip off vs @wnbachicagosky @ 2:00 at @STAPLESCenter Tix: http://t.co/8ZiFunLOkj #GoSparks pic.twitter.com/1arFmXerg6
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) August 16, 2015
The Sparks were ahead by only 3 entering the second half, 38-35 but started making a run when they countered the Sky's zone defense with good movement without the leather and the impressive playmaking ability of Candace Parker.
The Sky struggled in the first half although they were in it. At that point I wondered if they could have put more Allie Quigley in the three spot to lure the defense out and space the floor.
Well, they did use in the third quarter, and switched on a zone defense. However, that undersized roster spelled doom for them as Los Angeles started to create separation.
How they countered it was simple: no one stayed inside. Everyone was outside, drawing the defense out as well and opening the lanes.
Parker facilitated from the high-post and was impressive in distributing/reading. Since Jantel Lavender possesses a good touch from mid-range, her defender respected her. Nneka Ogwumike meanwhile had Quigley on her, and it was too easy for her to cut to the basket.
Parker saw these flash cuts or backdoor cuts and rewarded her teammates. During the stretch, Parker assisted baskets from Ogwumike and Lavender several times.
There was a high-low play, a front cut where Parker hit a diving Lavender, and a neat shovel pass to Ogwumike inside.
From a slim 44-41 margin, the Sparks were able to pull away, 55-45. They led by 14, 61-47 after the third quarter. The Sky were never able to threaten after that point.
Parker finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and and a career-high 10 assists. Ogwumike and Lavender combined for 27 points while Kristi Toliver added 16.
The Sparks were also excellent on defense. They gave Elena Delle Donne different looks. Ogwumike was impressive in cutting her lane and not allowing too deep of an attack. Help defense also packed the paint as there was no need to stretch the floor against units which did not have enough shooters.
Delle Donne managed to chip in 23 points and 8 rebounds although she settled for contested, off-balanced jumpers, and was 7-for-19 from the field.
It was just difficult for her to get past one tower and then have another tower in front of her for the entire match. That is where the Sparks are effective in utilizing their huge frontline.
64 was the second lowest output of the Sky this season, only better than 63 when they struggled twice against the New York Liberty.
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