Despite a strong offensive showing, the Los Angeles Sparks fell short in a 105-97 home loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. In a clash between two of the WNBA’s legacy franchises, the Liberty—down to just eight active players—put together their most prolific scoring performance of the season to claim the series edge over the Sparks and move closer to clinching a playoff berth.
With superstar Breanna Stewart sidelined due to injury, veteran forward Emma Meesseman delivered a vintage performance, scoring a season-high 24 points and nearly completing a double-double with nine rebounds. The 2019 WNBA Finals MVP—who joined the Liberty midseason—has quickly become a stabilizing force for a team grappling with injuries and lineup changes.
“She's one of the best players in the world,” said Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts. “There's a lot of problems one of the best players in the world can bring you.”
Meesseman’s all-around performance exemplified her veteran poise, providing the Liberty with timely scoring, interior presence, and calm leadership in a game that demanded resilience.
New York (21-11) saw all five of its starters finish in double figures. Jonquel Jones notched a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double—improving the Liberty’s all-time record to 31-0 when she hits that milestone—while forward Leonie Fiebich added a career-best 20 points in just her fifth WNBA start. Natasha Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu rounded out the scoring barrage, and each starter shot over 50% from the field, making the Liberty just the 12th team in WNBA history to have all five starters hit that mark on at least eight field goal attempts.
Despite missing Stewart, Kennedy Burke, Nyara Sabally, and Isabelle Harrison (concussion protocol), New York showed impressive offensive cohesion, shooting 56% from the floor and scoring at will in both the half-court and in transition.
Off the bench, Marine Johannes added her sixth game this season with at least three made three-pointers—leading all WNBA reserves in that category—while Stephanie Talbot tallied four assists and a triple that brought her career scoring total over 1,000 points. Both posted a team-high +10 plus-minus, underscoring their impact in limited minutes.
Los Angeles (15-17) delivered an impressive offensive showing of their own, shooting 46.8% from the field, dishing out 23 assists, and committing only nine turnovers. They scored a season-high 52 points in the paint during regulation and won the fast break battle decisively, 15-0. The Sparks also doubled the Liberty in second-chance points, 14-7.
Dearica Hamby once again led the way for L.A., finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and a block. With the performance, she climbed to 10th on the Sparks’ all-time scoring list and surpassed Diana Taurasi for 26th in WNBA history for career rebounds.
Azurá Stevens added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and passed franchise icon Lisa Leslie for 10th all-time in three-pointers made in Sparks history. Kelsey Plum poured in a game-high 26 points on an efficient 8-for-13 from the field and a flawless 8-of-8 from the line, tying Nneka Ogwumike for the most 20-point games in a single Sparks season (19).
Despite their offensive efficiency, the Sparks struggled to contain New York’s fluid ball movement and perimeter shooting. Head coach Lynne Roberts noted the defensive lapses as a key difference-maker.
“We just were a little bit off,” Roberts admitted. “Defensively, we were not great. Giving up 105 points… We did some good things, but you have to give credit to New York.”
L.A. suffered another setback when second-year forward Cameron Brink, who had only recently returned from ACL surgery, exited the game in the second half with an ankle injury. Her status going forward remains uncertain.
With Tuesday’s win, the Liberty took the season series 2-1 and lowered their playoff-clinching magic number to seven. They’ll face a stern test on Wednesday night when they visit the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Meanwhile, the Sparks—currently sitting just outside the playoff bubble at ninth—will need to regroup quickly. Dearica Hamby remains confident in the team’s direction:
“One game shouldn’t break us,” she said. “We didn’t play our best basketball, but we did a lot of things well. We have important games coming up that we should win.”
Los Angeles remains 8-3 over its last 11 games, a sign that the team has found its identity despite inconsistencies.
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