Jordin Canada’s late 3-pointer ends Sparks’ 8-game losing streak

LOS ANGELES — Effort and execution. Grit and determination. All of it gave the Sparks an opportunity to win with 11.1 seconds left in their game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

And Sparks guard Jordin Canada delivered. Her team trailing by two points, Canada drained a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left, and the Sparks held on for a 79-78 win.

The Sparks scored seven of the final nine points to secure their first victory since beating Dallas in back-to-back games in late June.

All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike scored a season-high 30 points, Canada had 20 and forward Azurá Stevens contributed 15 as the trio combined for 65 points and actually outscored Indiana 39-38 in the first half to help give the Sparks a 47-38 advantage at the intermission.

Indiana guard Victoria Vivians’ three-point play capped a 12-4 run to begin the second half, which cut the Sparks’ lead to 51-50. Indiana took a 61-60 lead on a mid-range jumper by All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell late in the third quarter and still led for much of the fourth.

A floater by Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon cut Indiana’s lead to 68-67 with 4:15 remaining.

A pair of Ogwumike free throws tied the score at 72-all with 2:08 left, but Fever point guard Erica Wheeler, who played for the Sparks in 2021, made a layup 10 seconds later and Kelsey Mitchell’s stepback jumper pushed Indiana’s lead to 76-72 with 1:30 left.

A Stevens jumper got the Sparks back within two points with 1:13 left, but a pair of Wheeler free throws gave Indiana a 78-74 advantage with 57 seconds to go. Ogwumike grabbed a loose ball in the paint and scored to pull the Sparks within 78-76 with 38.1 seconds left.

Indiana worked the clock on its next possession, but Vivians was off on a long 3-point attempt at the end of the shot clock, setting the stage for Canada’s big basket. After Canada made her contested 3-pointer, Indiana’s Mitchell had a good look from the top of the 3-point arc but it didn’t hit the rim.

Ogwumike added eight rebounds and three assists for the Sparks (8-15). Canada added 10 assists and three steals and Stevens gabbed six rebounds and had three blocked shots to round out her night.

Mitchell (19 points) set the pace for Indiana (6-17) and Vivians finished with 17 points. Wheeler had 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Fever rookie center Aliyah Boston battled foul trouble and was held to nine points and four rebounds in 26 minutes.

Ogwumike started strong and the Sparks used an 11-3 run to open a 31-25 lead with 7:16 remaining in the second period. The Sparks used a 14-7 surge, capped by Canada’s buzzer-beating layup for their 47-38 halftime lead.

“Our playbooks mirror each other, very similar actions … the paint is important to both of us,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said before the game. “Getting the ball off the dribble to the paint, throw it into the post so who has a good night points-in-the-paint-wise could be a big factor or who plays in the paint and creates more open (3-point attempts).”

The Sparks had 22 points in the paint in the first half, shooting 55.9% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range.

Sparks head coach Curt Miller told me he expects Tuesday’s night game at home against the Indiana Fever to come down to effort and execution. #WNBA #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/hZkaZYLstH

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 26, 2023

Sparks veteran point guard Jasmine Thomas believed her team was due for a breakthrough if they could put together a complete effort.

“Just playing a full 40 minutes,” Thomas said before tip-off. “I feel like in our last game against Dallas we did a lot of stuff good offensively but then gave up a lot of points on the defensive end so I think staying locked in on both sides for 40 minutes (will be the difference between winning and losing).”

Sparks guard Jasmine Thomas believes the difference between winning and losing against the Indiana Fever will be playing a full 40 minutes. pic.twitter.com/AfpSbnb4c6

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 26, 2023

At this point in the season, Miller said he’s coaching effort and consistently reminding his team what it takes to win in the WNBA.

“We have to play each and every possession as hard as we can and then if they’re feeling fatigued, then we ask for them to ask for a sub and we get that bench in there and try to keep up the intensity and keep up the effort,” Miller said.

The teams face each other again on Thursday afternoon.