Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks
July 4, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks face off on Monday in a WNBA showdown at Crypto.com Arena. When these two teams faced off on June 5th it was the Mercury that secured the 81-74 victory.
Heading into Sunday’s matchup, the Los Angeles Sparks had an 8-11 record overall, and they seemed to be playing better. On Friday, the Sparks faced off against the Dallas Wings, and the offense was elite, scoring 97 points on the way to the victory. In that game, the defense did give up 89 points. The Sparks are averaging 82.1 points, while their defense is giving up 86.1 points per game. The offense is ranked 5th in the league, but the defense could be improved as they are ranked 11th in the league. Nneka Ogwumike has been the top player for the Sparks, averaging 18.3 points while shooting 57 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from behind the three-point line.
On the other side of this matchup is the Phoenix Mercury, who sits with a 9-13, but they are coming off a loss against the Chicago Sky. The defense gave up 91 points in that game, and that led to the 16-point defeat. Two games ago, against the Indiana Fever, the Mercury scored 99 points on the way to the victory. The Mercury are averaging 82.4 points, while their defense is giving up 85.3 points per game. The offense is ranked 4th overall, while the defense is ranked 10th overall. Skylar Diggins-Smith has been the top player for the Mercury, averaging 19 points while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from deep.
The Sparks are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and I expect they are going to have tired legs here. The last time these two teams faced off, the Sparks only scored 74 points, and they are going to struggle to score again in this game. Look for the Mercury’s defense to be the difference as Phoenix gets the job done.
