NEW YORK — The Sparks nearly made WNBA history before their bid for a record-setting comeback fell just short.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 20 points and the New York Liberty avoided one of the biggest collapses in WNBA history, holding off the Sparks, 85-81, on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.
New York (21-14) led 69-41 early in the fourth quarter and looked poised to cruise to an easy victory when the Sparks scored 21 straight points over a 4-minute stretch to get within striking distance.
The Sparks (12-21) made it a one-possession game late, trailing 82-79 with 26.6 seconds left, and were in position to match the Chicago Sky for the biggest comeback in league history. The Sky rallied from 28-down to beat Las Vegas in 2022. Rae Burrell got the Sparks within one on a reverse layup with 22 seconds left.
Ionescu, who scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, then hit two free throws with 14.8 remaining to restore the three-point advantage.
The Sparks had one last chance, but Ariel Atkins missed a 3-point attempt from the wing with seven seconds left and Ionescu hit a free throw with 3.2 seconds left to seal the Liberty’s fifth win in the past six games and send the Sparks to their 10th loss in 12 games.
The Sparks also lost forward Cameron Brink with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. She helped key the game-changing run, drawing an offensive foul on Breanna Stewart. Brink was down on the court for a few minutes before being helped to the locker room with a towel over her head. She took a shot to the stomach area from Stewart to get the offensive foul called.
A few minutes earlier Brink and Burrell banged heads. Both of them hit the deck, but they remained in the game. In fact, they both hit 3-pointers after the collision, and that helped spark the 21-0 run.
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said after the game that Brink was being evaluated by doctors after a “brutal hit to the ribs,” but didn’t have an update beyond that.
Burrell finished with a career-high 28 points (20 in the fourth) on 10-of-19 shooting (5 for 10 from 3-point range), three rebounds and three assists. Dearica Hamby had 16 points and four rebounds, while Nneka Ogwumike was the only other Sparks player in double figures with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
New York got its own scare in the third when Ionescu left the game. She went down awkwardly after playing defense and quickly grabbed her right foot. She subbed out soon after and jogged up the tunnel back to the locker room area. She returned about four minutes later on the game clock to a nice ovation from the crowd.
Jonquel Jones was a big reason the Liberty built a 49-32 halftime lead with 10 points and 12 rebounds (she finished with 11 points and 18 rebounds). New York feasted on Sparks turnovers while dominating the boards (29-16) and outscoring the Sparks 32-12 in the paint through two quarters.
The Liberty held the Sparks to nine points in the third quarter and extended their advantage to 26 points after three and 69-41 before the Sparks rallied.
New York was still playing without Leonie Fiebich and Satou Sabally. Coach Chris DeMarco said there’s no timetable on Fiebich’s return and that Sabally, who has been sidelined for more than a month with a concussion was away from the team.
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The Sparks continue their three-game trip at Washington on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT.