BOSTON — The Sparks will almost certainly be watching the postseason from home again this year.
Rae Burrell scored 19 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 18 for the Sparks, but it wasn’t enough in an 85-77 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night at TD Garden. Dearica Hamby added 15 points for the Sparks, who shot just 2 for 16 from 3-point range while losing their fifth game in a row and the 12th in their past 14.
The Sparks (12-23) are 7½ games out of a playoff berth (top eight) with nine games left in the regular season, and are actually closer to last-place Seattle (7-30) in the standings.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Kennedy Burke had 17 points to lead the Connecticut (9-25). Diamond Miller finished with 13 points for the Sun, who played a game in Boston for the third straight year before moving next season to Houston.
Leila Lacan finished with 10 assists and Saniya Rivers scored 11 points off the bench to help the hosts overcome the absences of Brittney Griner (left knee) and Aaliyah Edwards (left ankle). Nelson-Ododa scored 13 of her points in the first half, while Burke scored all 17 of her points in the second half, finishing 3 for 4 from 3-point range.
The Sun, who shot 50.7% from the floor, beat the Sparks for the second time in as many meetings this season. The Sun posted an 84-81 victory on May 30 in Connecticut.
The Sun seized control of Tuesday’s game during the third quarter, during which they outscored the Sparks 26-15.
They were nursing a 46-40 lead at halftime before scoring the first 10 points in the third quarter. Nelson-Ododa converted a three-point play to begin the sequence before capping it with a layup.
Burke made a trio of 3-pointers and Connecticut’s transition play helped push the team’s lead to 72-53 late in the third quarter.
Two layups and a step-back jumper increased the Sun’s advantage to 21 points early in the fourth. The Sparks slowly began to cut into their deficit before running out of time.
Nelson-Ododa, who finished 7 for 11 from the field, scored eight points and Miller added seven to help Connecticut open a 27-20 lead by the end of the first quarter. Rivers converted a layup to extend the Sun’s lead to 32-22 early in the second quarter.
Connecticut’s Lacan and backcourt mate Charlisse Leger-Walker combined to record 16 assists and only four turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Sparks host Atlanta (21-13) on Thursday at 7 p.m.