Sparks criticizes relegation talk after victory against first-place Liberty
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Michael Voepel, senior editor at ESPN
The Los Angeles Sparks are last in the WNBA standings, but as they showed on Wednesday with a 94-88 win over the first-place New York Liberty, they have not given up on this season and are simply looking ahead to 2025.
“If I have to read the word ‘tank’ again,” Los Angeles coach Curt Miller said, referring to speculation that the 7-24 Sparks were trying to improve their position in the 2025 draft. “I mean, we’re trying to get better and we’re building something special. No team in this league is going to give up. Given the two-year overall record (for draft lottery purposes), it’s silly to even talk about it.”
Miller was referring to the WNBA’s draft lottery odds, which are based on teams’ records from the last two seasons, not just one.
And with eight of the league’s 12 teams reaching the postseason, it’s not uncommon for all teams to be at least theoretically in the race for the playoffs late in the season.
New York, which played without ailing forward Jonquel Jones, is still 26-6 but has lost two of its last three games. Before that, the Liberty had won eight straight games and 13 of their last 14 games.
The Sparks lost longtime star Nneka Ogwumike to free agency before the season. Then Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, suffered a season-ending knee injury in June. Los Angeles was not expected to be a playoff team and has missed the playoffs the past three years.
Still, Miller said they can build on the progress of Rickea Jackson, who was selected No. 4 and scored 19 points for the Sparks on Wednesday, and his team’s positive attitude.
Los Angeles had lost seven straight games before Wednesday and was coming off a game on Sunday in which it scored 110 points but still lost to Dallas, which had 113. Dallas and Washington, the other WNBA teams besides the Sparks with a combined single-digit winning percentage, have all beaten teams in playoff position in the last two days.
“In this league, the line between winning and losing is so thin,” Miller said. “From top to bottom, there are excellent players. Anyone can beat anyone.”
