LOS ANGELES — In Nneka Ogwumike’s first game in Los Angeles as a member of the Seattle Storm, she helped lead the Storm to an 89-83 victory over the Sparks.
Ogwumike, the 2016 WNBA MVP and 2016 WNBA Champion with the Sparks, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a career-high six steals in the victory. The Storm’s Jewell Lloyd led all scorers with 30 points and contributed six rebounds and seven assists Tuesday.
“I’m just happy to feel the love,” Ogwumike said, but she added she didn’t have a “circle on this game.”
“I’m not someone who is externally motivated and so I’m treating this like another game,” Ogwumike said.
When current Sparks players Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens were asked about what they learned from Oguwmike in their year overlap last season, they both replied with the same thing: professionalism.
“She’s one of the greatest players to have ever played in the league,” Stevens said. “I watched how she approached each day and attacked each day. She’s the true essence of a person and professional.”
Hamby talked about how Ogwumike supported her throughout her transition and dealing with the fallout from the trade from the Aces.
“She was just super supportive and always showed up no matter how she was feeling,” Hamby said. “Just having her for that bridge year for me was really important to what I’m doing now.”
Sparks coach Curt Miller coached Ogwumike last year in his first season with the Sparks, but she was also one of the first players he coached in the WNBA as an assistant coach on the 2015 Sparks team.
“Nneka was a big part of my first year and why I had such a strong appreciation and desire that if this head coaching job ever opened up and they had interest in me, that it was a really special franchise and Nneka was such a big part of that,” Miller said.
The Sparks (6-17) played their final matchup before the Olympic break. Hamby (USA 3×3), Stephanie Talbot (Australia), Li Yueru (China) and Miller (USA Women’s National Team) will all participate in the games in Paris.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Sparks started slow. After going scoreless for nearly five minutes in the first quarter, Hamby got the Sparks on the board with a layup. However, second-year wing Rae Burrell injected life into the team by making two 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Burrell tied her career-high in points with 18 on five of seven shooting from distance. Burrell also made key plays on the defensive end and was active on the boards.
“I know she a little rough start to her career with an injury,” Stevens said. “We all saw what she was capable of, so to see her now reaping the benefits of all the work she’s put in, it’s awesome.”
Stevens, in her fourth game back from injury, scored 24 points and added 15 rebounds.
But the veteran Storm team (17-8) held up after the Sparks run. The Sparks held the Storm scoreless in the second quarter until 5:15 remained before the half. But the Storm still managed to hold a 41-37 lead at halftime.
The Sparks went down by double-digits in the third quarter, but Burrell continued her strong play by converting two more 3-pointers. Stevens put the Sparks up 73-71 for their first lead since the second quarter but Lloyd responded with an and-one bucket.
The Storm built their lead back to nine points with 2:20 left in the contest. The Sparks cut it to three points with under a minute left, but the Storm held on for the win.
The Sparks won’t play again until Aug. 15 against the New York Liberty. Heading into the month-long break, Miller recognized the growth of the team so far this season.
“I’m proud of our growth and proud of our play,” Miller said. “We’ve come a long way since May basketball with a young team.”
