Sparks, Sun playing for the future with playoff windows closed

The Los Angeles Sparks, coming off yet another defensive debacle, will look to end their season-high-tying losing streak when they host the Connecticut Sun on Saturday.

Los Angeles (12-24) matched its longest skid of 2026 at six when it opened a four-game homestand with a 124-88 loss to Atlanta on Thursday.

The Sparks were doomed early, as the Dream led 34-12 after the first quarter. The 124 points Los Angeles surrendered were one shy of matching the WNBA record for most allowed in a regulation game, a mark the Sparks set earlier this season at Toronto.

The Sparks -- who, like Connecticut, are eliminated from playoff contention -- have gone 4-16 starting with that Toronto game on June 25, a date that marked the start of the Sparks' season sans Kelsey Plum. The perennial All-Star sustained a leg injury in June and was traded to Phoenix before she could return to action.

Monique Akoa Makani -- part of the return from the Mercury in that trade -- was one of the five Sparks reserves to play more than 12 minutes on Thursday, providing what Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts described as the game's bright spot.

"I like that we got to play our bench a lot," Roberts said. "I thought they did a good job ... Tonie (Morgan) was good getting downhill. That's that pressure on the rim we're talking about, and she's continued to learn and absorb."

Morgan, a free agent acquisition who joined the lineup on Aug. 11, scored eight points. Fellow reserve Cameron Brink added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss, marking her 14th game scoring in double figures this season.

Connecticut (9-26), meanwhile, comes into Los Angeles for the second and final leg of a quick Western swing. The Sun visited Las Vegas on Thursday, falling 101-78.

Connecticut trailed by just one point at halftime but ultimately could not keep pace with Aces stars A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young, who combined for 44 points. Four Sun scorers reached double figures, led by Olivia Nelson-Ododa with 14.

However, Nelson-Ododa's 18 points and Kennedy Burke's 17 powered Connecticut to an 85-77 win over the Sparks on Tuesday. Connecticut held Los Angeles to 2-of-16 shooting from 3-point range, while the Sun posted their highest scoring yield of August.

The Sparks rank second to last in the WNBA in scoring defense at 93.6 points allowed per game. Connecticut's average of 79.3 points on offense is the lowest in the league.

"We're considering all of our games learning opportunities," Sun coach Rachid Meziane said Thursday. "We want to prepare for our future, we want to assess players. ... We want to see who will be part of this new adventure."

--Field Level Media