The crowd roared pregame, celebrating the six combined Olympians playing for the Sparks and the Liberty. When the ball tipped for the first time since the Olympic break, the Sparks played as though they were still on vacation.
The league-leading Liberty (22-4) scored the game’s first 10 points and 38 of the first 48 en route to a 103-68 win over the Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks (6-19) shot just 36% (23-64) from the field and didn’t make a three pointer until the second half. The 103 points were the most the Sparks had given up all season, while the 68 points they scored narrowly avoided a season low.
The Sparks couldn’t keep up with New York’s star power. The Liberty’s two Olympians, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, combined for 45 points. Sparks guard Rae Burrell led the team with 15 points, though 12 came on free throws.
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, who won a bronze medal in Paris with the American 3×3 team, scored 14 points and led the Sparks with 13 rebounds. Thursday was her first matchup since suing the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces for discrimination, alleging the Aces treated her differently and traded her after learning Hamby was pregnant.
Four Sparks were out with injuries, leaving the team with just nine active players against the league’s best team. The Liberty led by as many as 40 points.
The Sparks play again on Saturday, facing Angel Reese and Chicago (10-15) at Crypto.com Arena (2 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet).