2020 Los Angeles Sparks season

Last updated

2020 Los Angeles Sparks season
Coach Derek Fisher
ArenaOriginally: Staples Center
Rescheduled to play at the: IMG Academy, in Bradenton, Florida
Attendance0 per game
Results
Record15–7 (.682)
Place3rd (Western)
Playoff finish3rd Seed, lost in the 2nd Round #7 Connecticut Sun, L 73-59
Team Leaders
Points Candace Parker (14.7 PPG)
Rebounds Candace Parker (9.7 RPG)
Assists Chelsea Gray (5.3 APG)
Media
Television Spectrum SportsNet
ESPN2, CBSSN, NBATV

The 2020 Los Angeles Sparks season was the 24th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on July 25, 2020, versus the Phoenix Mercury. [1]

Contents

This WNBA season was set to feature an all-time high 36 regular-season games. [2] However, the plan for expanded games was put on hold on April 3, when the WNBA postponed its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league is scheduled to hold a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy, without fans present, starting on July 24. [4] [5]

The Sparks' season started slowly, with the team going 3–3 in their first six games. Every win was followed by a loss during that streak. Then the team warmed up and won nine games in a row, before losing the last game in August to go into the final month of the season 12–4, and already having secured a playoff berth. September was not kind to the Sparks, as they went 3–3 to finish out the season. Their final record of 15–7 was good enough for the third seed in the playoffs.

As the third seed, the Sparks were awarded a First Round bye and awaited the lowest remaining seed in the second round. They played the seventh seeded Connecticut Sun and suffered a disappointing 59–73 loss to end their season.

Transactions

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/team/country
220 Beatrice Mompremier Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Miami (FL)
222 Leonie Fiebich Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Wasserburg (Germany)
334 Tynice Martin Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States West Virginia

Trades/roster changes

DateDetails
February 10, 2020Signed G Kristi Toliver [6]
Traded C Kalani Brown to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for G Brittney Sykes and C Marie Gülich [7]
February 11, 2020Re-signed G/F Tierra Ruffin-Pratt [8]
February 20, 2020Signed G/F Seimone Augustus [9]
February 21, 2020Traded G Marina Mabrey to Dallas in exchange for Dallas' Second round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft [10]
February 28, 2020Re-signed G Chelsea Gray [11]
May 15, 2020Signed G Sydney Wiese to a contract extension. [12]
May 26, 2020Traded the second round pick acquired in the February 21st trade to Dallas in exchange for C Kristine Anigwe and a third round pick in the 2021 Draft. [13]
June 26, 2020G Kristi Toliver opts out of the 2020 season. [14]
F/C Chiney Ogwumike opts out of the 2020 season. [15]
June 27, 2020Signed F Reshanda Gray. [16]
June 28, 2020Signed G Te'a Cooper. [17]

Roster

2020 Los Angeles Sparks roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F 31 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Anigwe, Kristine 6' 4" (1.93m)200 lb (91kg)1997-03-31 California 1
G/F 33 Flag of the United States.svg Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m)174 lb (79kg)1984-04-30 LSU 14
G 4 Flag of the United States.svg Cooper, Te'a 5' 8" (1.73m)160 lb (73kg)1997-04-16 Baylor R
G 12 Flag of the United States.svg Gray, Chelsea 5' 11" (1.8m)170 lb (77kg)1992-10-08 Duke 5
F 1 Flag of the United States.svg Gray, Reshanda 6' 2" (1.88m)192 lb (87kg)1993-06-01 California 3
C 24 Flag of Germany.svg Gülich, Marie 6' 5" (1.96m)205 lb (93kg)1994-05-28 Oregon State 2
F 30 Flag of the United States.svg Ogwumike, Nneka 6' 2" (1.88m)174 lb (79kg)1990-07-02 Stanford 8
F/C 3 Flag of the United States.svg Parker, Candace 6' 4" (1.93m)175 lb (79kg)1986-04-19 Tennessee 12
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg Ruffin-Pratt, Tierra 5' 11" (1.8m)180 lb (82kg)1991-04-11 North Carolina 7
G 15 Flag of the United States.svg Sykes, Brittney 5' 9" (1.75m)154 lb (70kg)1994-02-07 Syracuse 3
G 24 Flag of the United States.svg Wiese, Sydney 6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg)1995-06-16 Oregon State 3
G 2 Flag of the United States.svg Williams, Riquna 5' 7" (1.7m)165 lb (75kg)1990-05-28 Miami (FL) 7
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Derek Fisher (Little Rock)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Latricia Trammell (East Central)
Flag of the United States.svg Fred Williams (Boise State)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Courtney Watson (California)
Strength and conditioning coach
Flag of the United States.svg Kelly Dormandy (Quinnipiac)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Game log

Regular season

2020 game log
Total: 15–7
July
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1July 25 Phoenix Mercury W 99–76 N. Ogwumike (21)Tied (7) Gray (7) IMG Academy
0		1–0
2July 28 Chicago Sky 78–96 Sykes (16) Parker (9) Gray (7)IMG Academy
0		1–1
3July 30 Connecticut Sun W 81–76 Gray (15) Parker (11) Gray (6)IMG Academy
0		2–1
August
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
4August 1 Seattle Storm L 75–81 Parker (19) Parker (12) Gray (5) IMG Academy
0		2–2
5August 5 Indiana Fever W 86–75 Parker (18) Parker (11) Gray (5)IMG Academy
0		3–2
6August 7 Las Vegas Aces L 82–86 Parker (20) Parker (12)Tied (4)IMG Academy
0		3–3
7August 9 Minnesota Lynx W 97–81 Williams (21) Parker (10) Parker (9)IMG Academy
0		4–3
8August 11 New York Liberty W 93–78 Tied (17) Parker (6)Tied (4)IMG Academy
0		5-3
9August 13 Washington Mystics W 81-64 Williams (13) Parker (9)Tied (3)IMG Academy
0		6-3
10August 15 Indiana Fever W 90-76 Williams (21)Tied (5)Tied (5)IMG Academy
0		7-3
11August 19 Phoenix Mercury W 83–74 3 tied (16) Parker (12) Gray (6)IMG Academy
0		8–3
12August 21 Atlanta Dream 92-85 (OT) Gray (20) Parker (9) Parker (5)IMG Academy
0		9-3
13August 23 Dallas Wings W 84-81 Sykes (23) Parker (14) Parker (6)IMG Academy
0		10-3
14August 28 Connecticut Sun W 80-76 Gray (27) Cooper (6) Parker (7)IMG Academy
0		11-3
15August 30 Atlanta Dream W 84–79 Sykes (15) Parker (10) Parker (7)IMG Academy
0		12–3
16August 31 Minnesota Lynx L 78–96 Gray (18) Parker (9) Gray (5)IMG Academy
0		12–4
September
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
17September 2 Dallas Wings W 91–83 Parker (22) Parker (10) Parker (6) IMG Academy
0		13-4
18September 4 Seattle Storm L 90–89 Parker (25) Parker (7) Parker
Gray (6)		IMG Academy
0		13-5
19September 6 Chicago Sky W 86–80 Parker (24) Parker (15) Gray (7)IMG Academy
0		14-5
20September 8 New York Liberty W 96–70 Tied (20) N.Ogwumike (8) Parker (7)IMG Academy
0		15-5
21September 10 Washington Mystics L 72–80 Gray (21) Parker (17) Parker (6)IMG Academy
0		15–6
22September 12 Las Vegas Aces L 70–84 N.Ogwumike (24) Parker (10) Gray (11)IMG Academy
0		15–7
2020 season schedule

Playoffs

2020 playoff game log
Total: 0–1
Second Round
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1September 17 Connecticut Sun L 73–59 Parker (22) Parker (14) Parker (5) IMG Academy
0		0–1
2020 playoff schedule

Standings

#Team W L PCT GB Conf.
1x – Las Vegas Aces 184.818–8–2
2x – Seattle Storm 184.818–8–2
3x – Los Angeles Sparks 157.68235–5
4x – Minnesota Lynx 148.63644–6
5x – Phoenix Mercury 139.59154–6
6x – Chicago Sky 1210.54566–4
7x – Connecticut Sun 1012.45587–3
8x – Washington Mystics 913.40996–4
9e – Dallas Wings 814.364101–9
10e – Atlanta Dream 715.318115–5
11e – Indiana Fever 616.273124–6
12e – New York Liberty 220.091162–8

Playoffs

First round
Single elimination
(September 15)		Second round
Single elimination
(September 17)		Semifinals
Best-of-5
(September 20–29)		 WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
(October 2–11)
1 Las Vegas Aces 3
4 Minnesota Lynx 807 Connecticut Sun 2
5 Phoenix Mercury 855 Phoenix Mercury 791 Las Vegas Aces 0
8 Washington Mystics 842 Seattle Storm 3
2 Seattle Storm 3
3 Los Angeles Sparks 594 Minnesota Lynx 0
6 Chicago Sky 817 Connecticut Sun 73
7 Connecticut Sun 94

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

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%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Candace Parker 222230.051.039.673.19.74.61.21.214.7
Chelsea Gray 222230.644.230.593.93.75.31.50.114.0
Nneka Ogwumike 181826.256.950.083.74.81.71.10.213.3
Riquna Williams 21421.143.542.288.91.81.51.10.310.5
Brittney Sykes 211424.448.732.780.62.62.11.50.310.1
Te'a Cooper 20317.345.134.476.51.02.00.707.0
Sydney Wiese 191519.150.547.291.71.71.20.60.16.8
Seimone Augustus 21015.849.154.566.71.81.20.60.15.9
Kristine Anigwe 17111.660.4053.82.60.20.60.44.6
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt 171014.526.746.273.12.10.90.60.22.9
Marie Gülich 1219.950.00100.01.50.60.30.32.4
Reshanda Gray 1006.336.4085.72.80.30.10.41.4

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Candace Parker WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week August 24, 2020 [18]
Peak Performer: Rebounds September 14, 2020 [19]
Defensive Player of the Year September 24, 2020 [20]
Nneka Ogwumike Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award September 29, 2020 [21]
Brittney Sykes 2nd Team All-Defense September 29, 2020 [22]
Candace Parker All-WNBA First Team October 4, 2020 [23]

References

  1. ↑ "2020 Los Angeles Sparks Schedule". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Atlanta Dream Announce 2020 Schedule - Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season". April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ "WNBA Announces Plan To Tip Off 2020 Season". WNBA. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Sparks Sign Kristi Toliver". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Sparks Acquire Brittney Sykes and Marie Gülich from Atlanta Dream". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sparks Re-Sign Tierra Ruffin-Pratt". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Sparks Sign Four-Time WNBA Champion Seimone Augustus". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Sparks Acquire 2021 Second Round Pick from Dallas Wings". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Sparks Re-Sign All-WNBA Guard Chelsea Gray". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Sparks Sign Sydney Wiese To Contract Extension". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Sparks Acquire Kristine Anigwe from Dallas Wings". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Kristi Toliver To Opt Out of 2020 WNBA Season". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Chiney Ogwumike To Opt Out of 2020 WNBA Season". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Sparks Sign Reshanda Gray". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Sparks Sign Rookie Te'a Cooper". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Vandersloot, Parker Garner Players Of The Week Honors For Week 4". wnba.com. WNBA. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Dallas' Ogunbowale, Los Angeles' Parker And Chicago's Vandersloot Earn 2020 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Candace Parker Named 2020 WNBA Defensive Player Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Los Angeles' Nneka Ogwumike Wins 2020 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award". wnba.com. WNBA. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Two Atlanta Dream Players And Seattle Storm's Alysha Clark Headline 2020 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. WNBA. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  23. ↑ "A'ja Wilson And Candace Parker Unanimously Selected To 2020 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. WNBA. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
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