At 10 a.m. Beijing time on June 29, the WNBA regular season continued, and the Phoenix Mercury hosted the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks' away record is extremely poor, and it is not easy for the Sparks to end their six-game losing streak against the Mercury who are good in this game.
The Mercury ranked at the bottom of the rankings last season, and after trading for All-Star player Cooper this season, they formed a big three with Griner and Taurasi, especially with the return of Griner, the team's strength has increased greatly, and the recent form has also improved significantly, with an 8-8 record temporarily ranking 6th in the league. The Mercury averaged 81.8 points per game, ranking 5th in the league, and conceded 85 points per game, ranking 5th from the bottom of the league.
Cooper is the team's leading scorer, averaging 22.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, ranking third on the scoring list. Grina averaged 19.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, still an interior giant, and Tao Lexi averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. In addition, Crowder averaged 10.8 points and 7.1 assists per game, Cunningham and Allen also averaged more than 7 points per game, and the Mercury still had a lot of consistent scoring points.
The Sparks entered a rebuilding period this season, with the departure of the two core players of Ogumic and Kannada, and the team's poor record due to the addition of a number of new signings, ranking second from the bottom of the league with a 4-13 record, after suffering a six-game losing streak and a sluggish state. The Sparks are terrible offensively and defensively, averaging just 77.9 points per game, ranking second from the bottom in the league, and conceding 85.1 points per game, ranking third from the bottom in the league.
Hamby has been outstanding this season, averaging 17.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, all four of which are the best on the team. Rookie Jackson averaged 9.8 points per game, Nurse 9.1 points, McDonald 8.4 points, Lacey Brown 8.1 points, Brink 7.5 points, and Chinese player Li Yueru averaged 5.1 points per game. Overall, only Hamby scored in double figures on the Sparks' team, lacking consistent scoring points, and the Sparks are currently plagued by serious injuries, with Brink, Stevens, Lacey Brown and Clarendon all unable to play in this game.
The two teams have met twice this season, with the Sparks beating the Mercury 98-85 in the preseason and the Mercury beating the Mercury 87-68 in the regular season. The Mercury's home record is 6-2, which is significantly better than the 2-6 away record, while the Sparks have a poor away record of only 1-9, which is the worst team on the road.