Sparks and Lynx set to make history in showdown of undefeated WNBA teams
When the 11-0 Los Angeles Sparks host the 12-0 Minnesota Lynx at Staples Center on Tuesday, they’ll be simultaneously making history and reliving it.
The matchup is the first meeting in any professional sports league – NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL included – between two teams with 10 or more wins and zero losses or ties.
It’s also 19 years to the day after the WNBA’s inaugural game: the Sparks hosted the New York Liberty on June 21, 1997, in front of a crowd of more than 14,000 at the Forum.
“It’s amazing that two teams are playing so well and have historic starts in the 20th season,” said Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, who leads the team in points and rebounds. “I’m proud to be a reflection of this league’s growth. A lot of people wonder where this league is going, and I think it’s going up.”
However, Ogwumike said her team is focused on playing the defending champion Lynx, rather than the history.
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“They’re a team that’s similar to us in that they match everybody on both ends of the court,” Ogwumike said. “We really pride ourselves on getting stops and being as aggressive as we can on defense. That fuels how we play on the offensive end.”
The Lynx pace the league in scoring with 87.8 points a game, with the Sparks in second. The Sparks, meanwhile, are the WNBA’s stingiest defense, allowing opponents 71.4 points a game, with Minnesota in the No. 2 spot.
Ogwumike and two-time most valuable player Candace Parker are the leading scorers for the Sparks, at 17.6 and 16.5 points respectively.
For Minnesota, star forward Maya Moore looms large, ranked No. 3 in the league in scoring (19.7) and is “one of the better players in the world,” according to Sparks Coach Brian Agler.
“[Minnesota] has got that core group that’s been together for several years,” Agler said. “They’re well-coached, excellent on both sides of the floor ... they’re just competitors.”
Given the parity between the two squads, Ogwumike predicted that the winner Tuesday would come down to fire and focus.
“Coach says to us every day that the hungriest team wins. Right now, we’re not satiated,” Ogwumike said.
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