Sparks frontcourt puts on a scoring showcase in

It was the sort of offense they’d been chasing all season.

Cuts darted through closing doorways, twisting Connecticut’s protection into knots as the Sparks’ monster frontcourt threw its weight around in a 57-point stampede. And with consideration pulled inside, Kelsey Plum discovered her rhythm in the third quarter and Rae Burrell clawed her approach into the lane to jolt the Sparks back to life.

With touches flowing from sideline to baseline, the Sparks saved their half of the scoreboard flashing in a 92-88 victory over a flailing Sun squad — all while limiting Tina Charles, the WNBA’s second-leading scorer, to just 9 factors on three-for-10 capturing.

Rickea Jackson, with her wiry power and burst, knifed previous defenders as Dearica Hamby combined bruising post work with smooth finishes and Azurá Stevens — probably the most versatile of the bunch — stuffed every hole. And as Jackson and Hamby created real estate down low, the Sparks dished out 22 assists.

Jackson completed with 19 factors, six rebounds and 4 assists, and Hamby had 17 factors, seven rebounds and 4 assists.

“Rickea was phenomenal. … She was aggressive, she’s a tough guard. She set the tone, and they had a hard time containing her in space,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts mentioned. “Dearica’s defense — particularly the pick and rolls — she was so active tonight. And Z [Stevens], she doesn’t get the respect she deserves on the national scale.”

There wasn’t a lot time to breathe at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, not when every possession felt like a pendulum swing — the Sparks (6-14) surging and the Sun (3-18) countering with Bria Hartley’s regular hand on the perimeter and Saniya Rivers’ muscle inside.

“We weren’t really rattled,” Stevens mentioned. “They came back and had some runs, but we found a way to answer and I think it shows maturity and growth. … Sometimes when we get punched by teams, we tend to crumble. But today we stuck together, and we came back and got stops and put the pressure on them offensively.”

Plum, who completed with 23 factors, willed her crew to a 90-85 lead with a minute to play, first stepping through Connecticut’s Leïla Lacan for a artful layup in the enamel of the protection, then nailing a pair from the free-throw line.

“I don’t think it could be understated — some of those finishes [Plum] had were unbelievable,” Roberts mentioned.

Clinging to the lead, Julie Allemand elevated what might’ve been the dagger with 48 seconds left — a three-pointer that would’ve ballooned the lead to eight.

Instead, it went to a bounce ball, Jackson drew a foul, and Rivers went to the road. Drowned in the noise of a frenzied Crypto.com Arena, the rookie scored on only one of her two pictures, holding it a two-possession sport.

Coming out of a Connecticut timeout, Stevens rebounded a 26-foot heave from Hartley that clanged off the rim; Hartley then fouled Stevens.

True to her regular hand, Stevens iced the sport at the road, ending with 21 factors to go with 11 rebounds and her seventh double-double of the season.

After the sport, a acquainted speaking level in the postgame information convention: What makes Stevens such a matchup drawback, and is she underrated? The Sparks’ 6-foot-6 ahead has quietly put up her most dominant season yet, boasting more double-doubles this season than in her first seven seasons mixed.

“I play for the team. I play for the Sparks. I play for my family, myself,” Stevens mentioned. “That’s been one of my goals coming into this year, is to be consistent. So, I mean, respectfully, I don’t care what the media thinks.”