2018 Los Angeles Sparks season

Last updated

2018 Los Angeles Sparks season
Coach Brian Agler
Arena Staples Center
Attendance10,642 per game
Results
Record19–15 (.559)
Place3rd (Western)
Playoff finish6th seed, Lost in Second Round to Washington 64–96
Team Leaders
Points Candace Parker – 17.9 ppg
Rebounds Candace Parker – 8.2 rpg
Assists Chelsea Gray – 5.1 apg
Media
Television Spectrum SportsNet
ESPN2, NBATV

The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 20. [1]

Contents

The Sparks started out strong with a 4–1 record in May. They won their season opener in a re-match of the 2017 WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx. They continued their strong run into June where the team posted an 8–4 record. The Sparks won 6 of 7 to start the month. Two of their June losses game to the eventual WNBA Champion Seattle Storm. However, things started to get shaky in July. The Sparks went 4–6. However, all but one loss came to eventual playoff teams. The other loss was to Indiana, who ended the season with the worst record. The Sparks finished with a 4–4 record in August, including 3–0 at home. However, the Sparks lost 4 of their last 5 (again all against playoff teams).

Their final record of 19–15 was good enough to secure the 6th seed in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs. They met the Lynx in the first round, in a re-match of the last three WNBA Finals. The Sparks prevailed 75–68 at the Staples Center. In the second round, they faced the Washington Mystics in Washington, but were defeated 64–96 to end their season.

Transactions

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/Team/Country
111 Maria Vadeeva Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Dynamo Kursk (Russia)
223 Shakayla Thomas Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Florida State
335 Julia Reisingerová Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Femeni Sant Adrià (Spain)

Trades/Roster Changes

DateDetails
February 1, 2018Re-sign G Odyssey Sims [2]
February 1, 2018Sign G Ana Dabovic and G Karlie Samuelson [3]
February 6, 2018Re-sign G Alana Beard [4]
February 14, 2018Sign G Cappie Pondexter [5]
February 21, 2018Re-sign F Tiffany Jackson [6]

Roster

2018 Los Angeles Sparks roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G/F 0 Flag of the United States.svg Beard, Alana 5' 11" (1.8m)160 lb (73kg)1982-05-14 Duke 12
G/F 17 Flag of the United States.svg Carson, Essence 6' 0" (1.83m)163 lb (74kg)1986-07-28 Rutgers 10
G 12 Flag of the United States.svg Gray, Chelsea 5' 11" (1.8m)170 lb (77kg)1992-10-08 Duke 3
C 42 Flag of the United States.svg Lavender, Jantel 6' 4" (1.93m)185 lb (84kg)1988-11-12 Ohio State 7
F 30 Flag of the United States.svg Ogwumike, Nneka 6' 2" (1.88m)174 lb (79kg)1990-07-02 Stanford 6
F/C 3 Flag of the United States.svg Parker, Candace 6' 4" (1.93m)175 lb (79kg)1986-04-19 Tennessee 10
G 44 Flag of the United States.svg Samuelson, Karlie 6' 0" (1.83m)1995-05-10 Stanford R
G 1 Flag of the United States.svg Sims, Odyssey 5' 8" (1.73m)160 lb (73kg)1992-07-13 Baylor 4
C 10 Flag of Russia.svg Vadeeva, Maria 6' 4" (1.93m)190 lb (86kg)1998-06-16 Russia R
G 24 Flag of the United States.svg Wiese, Sydney 6' 0" (1.83m)1995-06-16 Oregon State 1
G 2 Flag of the United States.svg Williams, Riquna 5' 7" (1.7m)165 lb (75kg)1990-05-28 Miami (FL) 5
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Brian Agler (Wittenberg)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Tonya Edwards (Tennessee)
Flag of the United States.svg Bobbie Kelsey (Stanford)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Courtney Watson (California)
Strength and conditioning coach
Flag of the United States.svg Kelly Dormandy (Springfield)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Game log

Preseason

2018 pre-season game log
May: 1–2 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1May 7@ Connecticut L 65–68 Thomas (17) Thomas (8) Pondexter (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
0–1
2May 8vs. New York L 75–81 Pondexter (17) Wiese (9) Pondexter (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
1,106		0–2
3May 12 China W 82–61 Gray (17) Carson (5) Gray (10) Hutto-Patterson Gym
1,650		1–2
2018 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2018 game log
Total: 19–15 (Home: 11–6; Road: 8–9)
May: 3–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1May 20@ Minnesota W 77–76 Sims (21) Ogwumike (9) Gray (8) Target Center
13,032		1–0
2May 22@ Indiana W 87–70 Ogwumike (25) Ogwumike (10) Gray (8) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
4,742		2–0
3May 24@ Connecticut L 94–102 Gray (21)Tied (4) Sims (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,571		2–1
4May 27 Phoenix W 80–72 Gray (23) Ogwumike (8) Gray (8) Staples Center
11,201		3–1
June : 8–4 (Home: 6–1; Road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
5June 3 Minnesota W 77–69 Parker (19) Parker (10) Gray (6) Staples Center
13,500		4–1
6June 7 Seattle L 63–88 Ogwumike (19) Ogwumike (6) Sims (5) Staples Center
9,204		4–2
7June 10 Chicago W 77–59 Parker (24) Ogwumike (8) Sims (5) Staples Center
8,239		5–2
8June 12 Atlanta W 72–64 Parker (18) Ogwumike (10) Gray (7) Staples Center
9,215		6–2
9June 15@ Washington W 97–86 Parker (23) Parker (7) Parker (11) Capital One Arena
5,289		7–2
10June 17@ Chicago W 81–72 Gray (21)Tied (11) Gray (6) Wintrust Arena
5,584		8–2
11June 19 Indiana W 74–55 Parker (15) Ogwumike (7) Gray (7) Staples Center
8,857		9–2
12June 22@ Dallas L 72–101 Ogwumike (17) Parker (6) Parker (6) College Park Center
5,672		9–3
13June 24 New York 80–54 Williams (25) Ogwumike (10) Gray (11) Staples Center
9,203		10–3
14June 26 Dallas W 87–83 Parker (29) Vadeeva (6) Parker (7) Staples Center
10,002		11–3
15June 28@ Seattle L 72–81 Parker (27) Parker (11) Parker (3) KeyArena
8,447		11–4
16June 29@ Las Vegas L 78–94 Gray (22) Vadeeva (7) Beard (6) Mandalay Bay Events Center
5,124		11–5
July : 4–6 (Home: 1–5; Road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
17July 1 Las Vegas W 87–71 Lavender (17) Ogwumike (7)3 Tied (6) Staples Center
12,003		12–5
18July 3 Connecticut L 72–73 Ogwumike (20) Parker (8) Parker (4) Staples Center
6,280		12–6
19July 5@ Minnesota L 72–83 Parker (22) Ogwumike (8) Gray (8) Target Center
9,303		12–7
20July 7 Washington L 74–83 Gray (23) Ogwumike (13) Ogwumike (5) Staples Center
10,163		12–8
21July 10@ Seattle W 77–75 (OT) Parker (21)Tied (9) Parker (10) KeyArena
9,686		13–8
22July 12 Dallas L 77–92 Parker (21) Parker (7) Gray (5) Staples Center
13,502		13–9
23July 15@ Las Vegas W 99–78 Parker (34) Parker (11) Parker (9) Mandalay Bay Events Center
4,810		14–9
24July 20 Indiana L 76–78 Parker (24) Parker (12) Parker (7) Staples Center
10,532		14–10
25July 22@ Chicago W 93–76 Parker (23) Parker (12) Gray (9) Wintrust Arena
6,477		15–10
26July 24 Atlanta L 71–81 Gray (18) Parker (9) Parker (5) Staples Center
9,324		15–11
August : 4–4 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
27August 2 Minnesota W 79–57 Parker (23) Parker (10) Gray (9) Staples Center
9,542		16-11
28August 5 Phoenix W 78–75 Gray (24) Parker (14) Parker (8) Staples Center
19,076		17-11
29August 8@ New York W 82–81 Gray (19) Parker (8) Parker (6) Westchester County Center
2,481		18-11
30August 9@ Atlanta L 73–79 Parker (20) Parker (12)Tied (4) McCamish Pavilion
4,235		18-12
31August 12@ Phoenix L 78–86 Parker (23) Parker (8) Sims (6) Talking Stick Resort Arena
10,618		18-13
32August 14 New York W 74–66 Gray (26) Parker (10) Gray (5) Staples Center
11,067		19-13
33August 17@ Washington L 67–69 Williams (14)Tied (8) Parker (7) Capital One Arena
7,400		19-14
34August 19@ Connecticut L 86–89 Parker (20) Parker (10) Gray (7) Mohegan Sun Arena
8,040		19-15
2018 season schedule

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log
Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
WNBA First Round: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1August 21 Minnesota W 75–68 Gray (26) Parker (6) Gray (6) Staples Center
8,598		1–0
WNBA Second Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1August 23@ Washington L 64–96 [ permanent dead link ] Parker (16) Parker (8)3 Tied (3) Capital One Arena
3,548		1–1
2018 playoff schedule

Standings

# Western Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Seattle Storm (1)268.765–13–413–411–5
2 Phoenix Mercury (5)2014.58869–811–68–8
3 Los Angeles Sparks (6)1915.559711–68–99–7
4 Minnesota Lynx (7)1816.52989–89–89–7
5 Dallas Wings (8)1519.4411110–75–127–9
6e –Las Vegas Aces 1420.412128–96–114–12

Playoffs

First round
Single elimination
(Aug. 21)		Second round
Single elimination
(Aug. 23)		Semifinals
Best-of-5
(Aug. 26 – Sept. 4)		 WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
(Sept. 7 – Sept. 12)
1 Seattle Storm 3
4 Connecticut Sun 865 Phoenix Mercury 2
5 Phoenix Mercury 1015 Phoenix Mercury 961 Seattle Storm 3
8 Dallas Wings 833 Washington Mystics 0
2 Atlanta Dream 2
3 Washington Mystics 963 Washington Mystics 3
6 Los Angeles Sparks 756 Los Angeles Sparks 64
7 Minnesota Lynx 68

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%PPGRPGAPGSPGBPG
Candace Parker 313030.6.471.345.80817.98.24.71.21.1
Nneka Ogwumike 272730.8.525.346.81615.56.82.01.60.4
Chelsea Gray 343432.7.484.392.83514.93.45.11.40.2
Odyssey Sims 342425.5.388.273.7228.22.52.80.60.0
Essence Carson 341523.1.435.361.9387.52.60.90.90.4
Riquna Williams 33316.5.407.375.8007.11.40.70.70.1
Jantel Lavender 30717.0.428.188.9005.23.70.70.40.2
Alana Beard 303025.5.392.400.8104.03.31.71.50.2
Maria Vadeeva 2508.2.527.333.7503.62.20.40.40.4
Karlie Samuelson 2004.2.389.313.0001.00.50.30.10.3
Sydney Wiese 1103.3.000.000.0000.00.30.20.00.0

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Chelsea Gray WNBA Western Conference Player of the WeekMay 29, 2018 [7]
Candace Parker July 15, 2018 [8]
Nneka Ogwumike WNBA All-Star SelectionJuly 17, 2018 [9]
Chelsea Gray
Candace Parker WNBA All-Star Captain
Candace Parker WNBA Western Conference Player of the WeekAugust 6, 2018 [10]
Alana Beard WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award August 31, 2018 [11]

References

  1. ↑ "2018 Los Angeles Sparks Schedule". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Odyssey Sims re-signs with Los Angeles Sparks". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Los Angeles Sparks Sign Ana Dabovic and Karlie Samuelson". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Sparks re-sign 2017 WNBA Defensive Player of the year, Alana Beard". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Sparks sign top WNBA free agent Cappie Pondexter". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Tiffany Jackson re-signs with Sparks". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 21, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Atlanta's Breland, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  9. ↑ "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Atlanta's Hayes, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Sparks' Alana Beard Named 2018 Defensive Player Of The Year - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
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