LOS ANGELES — Nneka Ogwumike had 25 points and 12 rebounds and all five Sparks starters scored in double figures in a 102-87 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“I think that we’re building a muscle memory when it comes to not just winning but playing hard,” said Ogwumike, who shot 9 for 16 from the field to go with five assists.
Dearica Hamby, Rae Burrell and Ariel Atkins (six assists) each scored 17 points, while Erica Wheeler added 15 points and a team-high eight assists for the Sparks (10-11), who won their second straight game before embarking on a four-game road trip.
“Obviously it feels good to see shots go in,” Atkins said after scoring a season-high 17 points against her former team. “My biggest thing is that it feels good when we all feel good too in the same sense. When it leads to wins, it makes it even better.”
The Sparks outscored Chicago 29-17 in the fourth quarter on a night when their starters accounted for 91 points, including 51 of the team’s 53 in the first half.
“In the fourth quarter, Coach emphasized on just being able to get stops because we kind of let them get a little run,” Wheeler said. “And I think we played great defense and we were super poised.”
The Sparks shot 11 for 15 from the field in the fourth, including 4 for 5 from 3-point range. All three of Ogwumike’s 3-pointers came in the fourth.
“Nneka is just unbelievable,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “There’s not enough words to describe her but she kind of willed us there, especially in that fourth quarter. Dearica came up with some big plays too that finished over Cardoso was unbelievable … there’s nothing I can say that can describe her. Nneka is Nneka and we’re happy she’s a Spark.”
Nneka Ogwumike on her double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds which contributed to the Los Angeles Sparks winning a second straight home game, this time 102-87 against the Chicago Sky. pic.twitter.com/jJlFCj8aaV
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 11, 2026
I’m breaking down the LA Sparks 102-87 win against the Chicago Sky starting with the team’s fourth quarter surge led by Nneka Ogwumike.
The Sparks starting lineup scored 91 of the team’s 102 points.
Los Angeles is on a two-game win streak scoring 100+ points in both games. pic.twitter.com/maTe6VFLQ2
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 11, 2026
Ogwumike buried a 3-pointer to give the Sparks an 80-72 lead with 7:46 left, and Burrell hit one of her own 45 seconds later for a nine-point advantage. A short time later, Ogwumike drained another 3-pointer and Hamby converted a layup as the Sparks led 90-80 with 4:32 remaining.
“We’re slowing stacking days and I think it’s happening at a good time,” said Ogwumike, who passed 3,000 career field goals in the win.
Chicago cut the margin to six points before Burrell scored on a layup and Ogwumike made another 3-pointer for a 95-84 lead with 2:29 left as the Sparks closed it out and finished with a season-high 32 assists.
“We’re starting to figure it out,” Roberts said. “If we play like that we’re going to give ourself a chance in every game.”
Wheeler said she sometimes cares too much, but that’s the kind of passion she wants to use to win games as the team tries to build momentum.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Wheeler said. “Everybody has to look themself in the mirror and be their best selves, and then we bring it together collectively.”
The Sky (7-15) also had five players score in double figures: former UCLA standout Gabriela Jaquez (15), Sydney Taylor (15), Kamilla Cardoso (15), Jacy Sheldon (10) and former Spark Azura Stevens (10).
With former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in attendance, the Sparks hustled from the start but trailed 29-28 after the first quarter.
“That’s the challenge,” Roberts said before the game, “good teams are consistent.”
Veteran reserve forward Emma Cannon, who finished with nine points, grabbed a key offensive rebound, which led to a Hamby 3-pointer, which tied the score at 34 early in the second quarter.
“It just shows that the hard work pays off,” said Cannon, 37.
“I know my role on this team and I know when my number is called I just have to be ready,” Cannon explained. “It doesn’t matter what it is, defense, offense. I’m just happy to be in the game and help make an impact.”
Wheeler, who scored all of her points in the first half, followed with a jumper and a 3-pointer for a 39-36 advantage, then the 5-foot-7 point guard drained another 3-pointer, this time over the outstretched arm of 6-7 Sky center Cardoso for a 45-42 lead.
The Sparks, who shot 50% in the first half, continued their inspired play and held a 53-48 lead at halftime.
“Improving like I’m not doing the same thing over and over,” Wheeler said. “I think that if we all do that collectively, we will be able to string this thing along.”
Cardoso scored eight points in the first quarter but was held scoreless in the second quarter.
“We’ve got to do our work early, meet her high, be physical with her,” Roberts said when asked about defending Cardoso before the game. “That’s everybody’s game plan against her and adjust as the game goes. If we need to double her, adjust as we go.”
Erica Wheeler told me she cares too much when the Los Angeles Sparks lose.
Wheeler talked about the importance of looking in the mirror, being your best self and coming together collectively to win games. pic.twitter.com/f0oGJpdrlM
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 10, 2026
The Sky used a 13-5 run, capped by rookie guard Taylor’s 3-pointer, to take a 61-58 lead with 6:04 left in the third quarter. The Sparks answered with an 11-3 burst that included consecutive layups by Ogwumike and Hamby and a Cannon 3-pointer and took a 73-70 lead into the fourth.
“I’m confident in my 3,” Cannon explained. “I work hard on it. It was something that I’ve worked hard on over the years and it’s something that I’m very confident in. Anything I let go, I feel like it’s going in.”
LA Sparks veteran forward Emma Cannon on her role and her nine points off the bench in a key 102-87 win against the Chicago Sky. Cannon said she knew her team could play like this. pic.twitter.com/XLht4EQwu2
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 11, 2026
The Sparks shot 51% from the field, including 14 for 31 from 3-point range, while Chicago was just 6 for 25 from behind the arc.
“You just have to stay steady and consistent with the effort and the connectedness,” Roberts said. “I know I’m a broken record on that, but that really is what I’ve learned about this group is when we empty the tank and we play together, we’re as competitive as anybody.”
WELCOME BACK, GABBY
Jaquez, who helped UCLA win its first national championship this spring, played well in her first game in L.A. as a WNBA rookie.
“I think it’s super valuable to be versatile in this league,” Jaquez said.
Jaquez provided an early spark off the bench, scoring nine of her points in the first quarter.
“I think it’s really important to impact the game in multiple ways,” Jaquez said. “You don’t just want to rely on one thing, so for me it’s doing whatever I can to help the team.”
Former UCLA star Gabriela Jaquez on playing for the time at https://t.co/qiCMWv8ut3 Arena in her life. Jaquez is a rookie guard on the Chicago Sky. pic.twitter.com/DZQLqmexaF
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 11, 2026
FUTURE ALL-STAR
Ogwumike, one of the Sparks’ two All-Star reserves alongside injured Kelsey Plum, said in her opinion, Burrell is a future All-Star.
“It means everything, especially coming from a player like her,” Burrell said during Friday’s morning shootaround practice. “A person like her. It just really shows how much she does believe in me and how much she cares for me. It really give me that extra confidence for myself and just really highlights the work that I’ve also put in. It makes me feel like OK, everything that I’ve been doing is one paying off and two being recognized.”
Burrell also received kudos from Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh.
“I don’t think Rae gets talked about enough,” Marsh said. “I think she’s one of the more underrated players in this league with her length, her athleticism, her versatility. She’s still young so she has a ton of room to continue to grow. She can be explosive offensively. She can be disruptive defensively. She can do a little bit of everything.”
Burrell is hopeful the Sparks can continue to play together and win games.
“I’m hoping that this is a momentum builder going into the second half of the season,” Burrell continued. “There’s still so much of the season to go, so I think that this is a good opportunity for us to just keep pushing through. We’re trying to make it to the playoffs, going on that playoff run.”
INJURY UPDATES
Plum is in the midst of rehabbing her left leg injury, according to Roberts. There remains no timetable for her return, but she has passed the halfway point toward being reevaluated later this month.
Cameron Brink’s sprained left ankle was strength-tested Friday. She is considered day-to-day but has not practiced yet, according to Roberts.
UP NEXT
The Sparks will begin a four-game trip on Monday night in Atlanta. It will be their first time facing the Dream this season.
LA Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said good teams are consistent ahead of her team’s home game against the Chicago Sky. pic.twitter.com/UCvu2qbM3I
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 11, 2026