Hamby scores 20 as last-place Sparks end skid with 68-51 win over postseason-bound Lynx

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Dearica Hamby scored 20 points and Rickea Jackson added 19 as the last-place Los Angeles Sparks capped off their WNBA season with a 68-51 victory over the playoff-bound Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night. The Sparks (8-32) snapped an eight-game losing streak while also halting the Lynx’s seven-game winning run.

The second-seeded Lynx (30-10) will host the seventh-seeded Phoenix in a best-of-three opening round matchup this Sunday. Kia Nurse contributed 12 points for Los Angeles in the win.

The Lynx, missing All-Star Napheesa Collier and 3-point specialist Kayla McBride, struggled offensively, recording their lowest output of the season. No Lynx player reached double digits, with Diamond Miller and Alissa Pili leading the team with eight points each. Natisha Hiedeman added seven, while Myisha Hines-Allen, Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, and Courtney Williams each scored six.

Los Angeles took control early, establishing a 16-point lead in the first half before heading into halftime with a 38-30 advantage. The Sparks maintained a 53-44 lead going into the fourth quarter. Williams pulled Minnesota within five points with a four-point play at 7:39, but the Sparks responded with a 13-0 run, extending their lead to 66-48 with under three minutes left. Nurse sank three of her four 3-pointers during that surge, with Rae Burrell contributing another.

The Sparks finished 2-14 after the Olympic break, giving them the best odds for the upcoming WNBA draft lottery.