LOS ANGELES — The Sparks started the season with the mantra "time to show." Center Liz Cambage, coming off an unceremonious split with the Australian national team before the Tokyo Olympics and moving to her fourth WNBA team, was credited with pitching the slogan to the marketing team and her teammates. With the controversial star gone, the Sparks have quickly adopted a new rallying cry.
"Just stick together," Nneka Ogwumike said Thursday after the Sparks lost 90-80 to the Phoenix Mercury in their first game since Cambage's abrupt departure. "It was another obstacle for us to figure out how we can stick together, and that's really what it's all about. That's kind of been our motto this whole season."
Trying to overcome the ups and downs of a tumultuous season, the Sparks are now trying to just keep pace in a tight postseason race. They hit another speed bump with Thursday's loss as they slipped to seventh behind Phoenix (13-16), which jumped from eighth to sixth. The Sparks (12-16) are tied with Dallas for the final two playoff positions, with Atlanta (12-17) only a half-game out.
If missing the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade and then firing their coach in the middle of the season didn't signal how dramatically the Sparks had fallen, then Cambage's "contract divorce" announced Tuesday definitely will. Beyond the current playoff push, the franchise faces a major overhaul this offseason. Derek Fisher's successor will have to clean up the former head coach and general manager's mess that has turned the once-proud franchise into at best an afterthought and at worst a laughingstock.
The team's own Twitter account tried to make light of the situation Thursday, tweeting a graphic of the 54-32 halftime score and an emoji of a nervous smile.
While Cambage was averaging just 13 points — her lowest scoring clip since her rookie season — the Sparks had built their offense on scoring in the paint with Ogwumike and Cambage. Facing the brunt of the Mercury's defense, Ogwumike labored for 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on 6-of-14 shooting.
Interim head coach Fred Williams hoped the team could transition more to a perimeter-oriented offensive game this week, but that strategy took a major hit with 3-point sharpshooter Lexie Brown injuring her ankle after playing just two minutes. She didn't return, and the Sparks went 3 for 21 from 3-point range, including an 0-for-12 start.
The Sparks are the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the WNBA, at 33.6%, and take the fewest 3-pointers per game, at 16.6.
When asked whether the first game without Cambage revealed any major changes required for the final eight regular-season games, Williams made a lighthearted remark.
"Yeah, just putting the ball in the basket, that's the drastic change," Williams said. "Win or lose, it's a matter of putting the ball in the basket."
Chennedy Carter carried the offense off the bench with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The third-year guard was coming off a 15-point performance against Las Vegas last weekend, her first game after a knee injury kept her sidelined for three weeks.
Carter was one of the Sparks' intriguing offseason acquisitions after the former Atlanta guard missed most of last season because of a suspension for unspecified conduct detrimental to the team. Chemistry issues were a concern, especially with the combustible Cambage.
But Carter is playing with something to prove.
"Playing for the WNBA, it means a lot, and actually playing for Los Angeles," the 23-year-old said. "So to be out there every moment, it's a big opportunity and I never want to waste it."
Amid the dramatic season, Carter credited veteran teammates like Ogwumike for helping her stay focused on the court and embrace her role of high-energy bench player.
"I want y'all to know that we're going through a lot," Carter said, "but we got a lot of great vets, a lot of great leaders who are keeping our circle tight."
