Sparks finish home stand against young, talented Mystics

LOS ANGELES — The Sparks' four-game home stand is coming to an end on Friday. The playoff-bound Washington Mystics (24-15) are the only team that hasn't visited Crypto.Com Arena this season. They will do that on Friday on a second game of a back-to-back.

The home team hasn't had a great season but on Wednesday, the Sparks (13-25) had a topping out ceremony as the final beam was put on their soon-to-be practice facility. It was definitely one of the highlights of this season.

"I thought it was great," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. "It's super exciting. It's cool to see it coming together. And I'm just appreciative of ownership, the investment. (Sparks governor) Eric Holoman's done an amazing job with just the resources needed. So it's going to be state-of-the-art, best in show, best in the league. Yesterday, it felt real."

It was also nice for the team to bond together.

"Last night, we had an event here (in Crypto.Com Arena), a partnership dinner, kind of a fancy little dinner, and the players were great," Roberts said. "Yeah, it's nice to kind of maybe get out of the, even though we were in the gym, we're all dressed up, so it's, you know, this is a good group. And we all enjoy each other so those events are fun."

And Roberts and the team will be back in the gym on Friday for their usual purpose as they take on the Mystics.

"We have a chance to win the series, which we want to do," Roberts said. "The last time we played them, we were playing really well. We started the third quarter 5-for-5, and then we went 5-for-25 to finish the game. We just couldn't buy a bucket down the stretch. They're a really good team, driven by their bigs. And (Sonia) Citron, obviously, is an all-star. I love watching her play, don't love competing against her. But I just love how she plays. So they're a good team. They're young."

This good team played on Thursday, defeating the Mercury in Phoenix. 

Shakira Austin has been a beast this season, averaging 16.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. They have those two all-stars in Citron and Kiki Iriafen. And maybe Georgia Amoore has finally turned it around; she scored a career-high 25 on Thursday.

Plus, they added a key rotation piece in Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.

"Well, I think she's brought experience, veteran leadership. She can shoot it. I think she's a good fit for them," Roberts said.

The Mystics may be on a second game of a back-to-back but they're still going to be a test for these Sparks, who want to finish strong to end this season.

"Just keep pouring into each other," Sparks forward Cameron Brink said about the homestretch. "Keep celebrating the moment, keep celebrating Nneka (Ogwumike), and realizing, you know, just how lucky we are to be a great group. So, yeah, just keep relying on that."

And it'll be a celebration for the Sparks if they win their season series against the Mystics.