fades

Coming off their best win of the season in Minnesota on Thursday, the Sparks didn’t have much of that same energy to start their first home game since the trade deadline.

The fourth quarter, though, looked a lot like the best basketball they’ve played all season.

The Sparks came out flat and gave up 29 first-quarter points from the Golden State Valkyries in an 84-78 loss Sunday, their eighth in the last 10 games. They made it a game in the fourth with a 16-5 run but were too far back and it took just a couple of Valkyries shots to put the game out of reach.

An Ariel Atkins three-pointer with 2:18 left got the Sparks within one point, then after it was matched by Golden State, a three from Erica Wheeler made it a one-point contest again with 1:38 to go.

Nneka Ogwumike missed what would have been a tying shot with 52 seconds left before the Valkyries made it a two-possession score to close it out.

Wheeler missed two three-point attempts with less than 30 seconds left. She finished with 15 points while Ogwumike finished with a team-high 16 points.

There are 13 games left in the season and the Sparks are six games back of Dallas for the eighth and final WNBA playoff seed, giving them an uphill climb to get back in the postseason conversation.

On Sunday, the Sparks (12-19) committed five early turnovers and struggled to defend the perimeter against the shot-happy Valkyries, trailing 29-15 after one quarter.

After getting back within nine, the Sparks were down 45-32 at halftime following three consecutive buckets from Golden State guard Tiffany Hayes.

Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, right, reacts after being fouled by Golden State center Kiah Stokes in the first half Sunday.

(Harry How / Getty Images)

Cameron Brink hit a three-pointer to get back within 12 with 7:27 left in the fourth. The Sparks outscored Golden State 31-20 overall in the fourth to get back within four with less than four minutes to play.

Brink, who had seven points, seven rebounds and two steals, got into foul trouble in the third quarter, going into the fourth with four. Rae Burrell, who had scored in double figures in every game since July 22, didn’t score until the fourth quarter and finished with nine points.

The Valkyries capitalized with 18 points off the Sparks’ 11 turnovers.

Kiana Williams scored 10 points, her most since she joined the team from Phoenix in June off of a developmental deal.

The Sparks have not beaten Golden State (23-9) since a 84-67 victory on May 16, 2025, the first game in Valkyries franchise history.

On Sunday, the Valkyries were led by 15 points from Cecilia Zandalasini, who shot five for five from three-point range.

After she scored seven points against Minnesota, newly acquired guard Monique Akoa Makani missed Sunday’s game with a right ankle injury she sustained in the final minute against the Lynx.

The Sparks will host Phoenix (12-22) in Kelsey Plum’s return to L.A. on Tuesday at USC’s Galen Center.

Serena Williams walked out onto Wimbledon’s Centre Court, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and smiled at the ovation that greeted her.

Williams has consistently said she has nothing left to prove as she resumes the tennis career from which she evolved away in 2022.

But no-one was sure what to expect on Tuesday evening when she faced Australia’s Maya Joint in what was the 44-year-old’s first singles match in four years.

There would have been a moment of relief for Williams when she won her first point at SW19 for 1,462 days – a forced error from Joint in response to a huge return of serve from the American.

The match ended in a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 win for Joint, who started strongly, weathered a second-set dip, and regrouped impressively from a break down in the third.

The competitive nature that propelled Williams to 23 Grand Slam titles means she will not be satisfied with the outcome. She has often said she hates losing more than she loves winning.

And this was not vintage Williams. She played better as the match went on before fading in the third set. There were, however, glimpses of the player that dominated the WTA Tour for over two decades.

“I was a bit cynical and very curious about what was going to happen in this match,” former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“What we saw is two people playing very good tennis and Maya being able to handle the pace of Serena.

“Serena played an incredible level. If she wants to play this way and play some more tennis, she is going to be a real handful.

“Serena played better now than she did at the end [of her career] four years ago.”