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Sparks fall to Lynx, matching franchise losing streak with seventh straight loss

Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike dribbles.
Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 19 points in the loss against the Minnesota on Thursday.
(LM Otero / Associated Press)
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Napheesa Collier scored eight points in a late 12-0 run and finished with 22 points as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Sparks 73-70 on Thursday night.

Collier scored 10 of her points in the fourth quarter as the Lynx (10-12) won despite squandering a 20-point lead, completing a season sweep of the Sparks (7-14), who matched a franchise record with its seventh straight loss.

Rookies Dorka Juhasz and Diamond Miller played key roles in the win. Juhasz scored a career-high 16 points on seven-for-10 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Miller added 13 points, a career-high nine assists and eight rebounds.

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The Sparks went on a 9-0 run and led 68-61 with four minutes left. Collier countered with a putback, a pair of layups and a short turnaround jumper and her teammates added four free throws as Minnesota took a 73-68 lead with 42 seconds remaining.

Jordin Canada ended the Sparks’ scoring drought as they closed within three points and, after a Minnesota miss, Nneka Ogwumike‘s three-point try spun out at the buzzer.

Layshia Clarendon, who has missed 14 games with a partially torn right plantar fascia, is slated to return Thursday for the Sparks’ first game after the All-Star break.

July 19, 2023

Ogwumike led the Sparks with 19 points. Lexie Brown, back in the lineup after missing more than a month, scored 13 points off the bench. Canada added 12 points and Layshia Clarendon had 11.

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Ogwumike scored 13 points in the first quarter for the Sparks. The Lynx had a 28-10 scoring advantage in the second with Juhasz scoring 10 as Minnesota built a 46-29 lead at the break.

The Sparks closed the third quarter with an 18-2 run, outscoring the Lynx 26-11 in the period and pulling within 57-55.

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