The Los Angeles Sparks will host the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, August 20, in a WNBA matchup with significant implications for one team and a spoiler opportunity for the other. The game, set for a 10:00 p.m. ET tip-off at Crypto.com Arena, pits a Sparks team fighting for its playoff life against a young Wings squad looking to build for the future.
The Sparks (16-18) find themselves in a precarious position, sitting just one game behind the Seattle Storm (18-18) for the eighth and final playoff spot. After a promising 8-2 run vaulted them back into postseason contention, Los Angeles has faltered, losing three of its last five games. Their most recent outing was a crucial 95-86 loss to the Washington Mystics, another team vying for a playoff berth. According to Newsweek, Dearica Hamby led the team with 26 points in that defeat, but it wasn’t enough to secure a vital road win.
On the other side, the Dallas Wings (9-26) are well out of the playoff picture but have proven to be a formidable opponent. The team is building around a young core that includes four rookies, and their recent record of one win in their last eight games doesn’t fully capture their competitive spirit. Their last game was a 106-87 loss to the powerhouse Las Vegas Aces, where Maddy Siegrist scored 23 points and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers added 18.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season, with the Sparks having won the previous two contests. The most recent matchup on August 15 was a nail-biter, ending in a 97-96 Sparks victory in Arlington. As reported by ESPN, Kelsey Plum scored 28 points for Los Angeles, while Dearica Hamby contributed a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The game came down to the final second, with Paige Bueckers missing a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Despite the loss, Bueckers had a stellar performance, finishing with 29 points and becoming the fastest player in Wings franchise history to score 500 career points.
The Wings will enter Wednesday’s game significantly shorthanded. According to an injury report from WFAA, star guard Arike Ogunbowale will be out with a right knee injury. She joins Ty Harris and Li Yueru, who are both out for the remainder of the season. With Ogunbowale sidelined, the offensive load will fall heavily on the shoulders of Bueckers and Maddy Siegrist. Siegrist has thrived since moving into the starting lineup three games ago, averaging 20.0 points per game, as noted by Sports Illustrated.
For the Sparks, who have no players listed on their injury report, this is a must-win game to keep their playoff aspirations alive. They will look to their veteran leaders, including Plum, who surpassed 4,000 career points in the last game against Dallas, and Hamby, who has recorded six 20-point, 10-rebound games this season. Given the high stakes for Los Angeles and the offensive firepower both teams displayed in their last meeting, another high-scoring affair could be in store. The game will be broadcast locally on KFAA and Spectrum SportsNet.
