second half

Lakers center Jaxson Hayes avoided major injury on his right wrist after a hard fall in Friday’s preseason finale as X-rays taken after the game came back negative and an MRI scan revealed what Hayes on Sunday called “a light sprain.”

The 7-footer missed the second half of Friday’s exhibition game with a right wrist contusion after he caught a lob from Luka Doncic and was bumped in the air while jamming a two-handed dunk in the first quarter. He stayed in the game for the second quarter and expects to be ready for Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

“Being a dummy,” Hayes said after practice Sunday of how he got hurt on the play. “I shouldn’t have tried to catch myself, should’ve just fallen.”

Hayes scored six points in the preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings, all on soaring dunks. He and Doncic connected on Hayes’ first basket of the game as they were playing together in the preseason for the first time.

Doncic’s wizardry in the pick-and-roll makes him an athletic rim-running center’s dream as the crafty point guard drops passes from every imaginable angle. But in Doncic’s first training camp with the Lakers since last year’s midseason trade, players, including new center Deandre Ayton are still adjusting to Doncic’s passes.

While coach JJ Redick said he was happy with the Lakers’ 28 assists to 10 turnovers in the preseason game against the Kings, he estimated the team missed seven assist opportunities because of misfired lobs or overly complicated passes.

“For all bigs and point guards, when you start playing with a new big or a new point guard, it’s a learning period,” Hayes said. “You just learn how they like their screens. You learn how they like you to roll to the hoop. It’s just little things. You learn where they like to pass you the ball. … It’s just those guys [Doncic and Ayton] are figuring each other out, just like me and Luka did last year.”

The chemistry between Hayes and Doncic has gotten so strong that Hayes is being recruited to join the Slovenian national team and said he is working on getting a Slovenian passport. He and Doncic are both clients of agent Bill Duffy, and Doncic and his family have been involved in the process for about a year and half, Hayes said.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic looks up the floor while dribbling during a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 14.

(Kelsey Grant / Getty Images)

Hayes watched Slovenia’s run to the quarterfinals in EuroBasket with a careful eye knowing that joining the team could be a possibility for him in the future. FIBA allows each national team to have one naturalized player, which the international basketball governing body defines as a player who obtains their passport for that country after turning 16.

Hayes said he had hopes of representing the United States, but USA Basketball does not have open tryouts for senior national teams.

“I wanted to just play on that stage,” Hayes said. “So I’m going do whatever it takes to play on that stage.”

Etc.

The Lakers cut down their roster to 14 standard contract players on Saturday, waiving RJ Davis, Augustas Marciulionis, Anton Watson and Nate Williams after training camp officially ended. The team kept center Christian Koloko and guards Chris Manon and Nick Smith Jr. on two-way contracts. … Manon was nursing an ankle injury during training camp but was a full participant in practice on Sunday. Bronny James (ankle) and rookie Adou Thiero (knee) went through a modified workout.

USC was down to two walk-ons in its battered backfield, when Trojans coach Lincoln Riley decided to dress injured sophomore running back Bryan Jackson for the second half of Saturday’s win over Michigan, despite the fact Jackson was listed by the team as out on the Big Ten’s pregame availability report.

Riley explained the decision to play Jackson after the game, describing it as “a unique situation” and “a wellness issue.” But on Monday, the Big Ten chose to slap USC with a fine of $5,000 for violating conference rules regarding its availability reports.

“Although these circumstances were unfortunate, it is critical for availability reports to be accurate,” a Big Ten spokesperson said. “Consequently, the conference is imposing a $5,000 fine and admonishes all institutions to use the “out” designation only if there are no circumstances under which a student-athlete could participate in a game. The conference considers the matter closed and will have no further comment.”

Jackson hadn’t suited up since Week 1 while dealing with a lingering turf toe issue. Coming into the game, Riley said that Jackson was unlikely to play “outside of a near catastrophe.” But when one back, Eli Sanders, suffered a potential season-ending injury in the first quarter, and another, Waymond Jordan, seriously injured his ankle in the second, plans changed quickly.

Riley said on Saturday night that USC was in communication with the league office at the time and explained the situation to conference officials beforehand.

Jackson was medically cleared by USC and entered the game in the fourth quarter. He rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown in five carries.

“The kid was ready to go and stepped up,” Riley said. “That’s what you gotta have, man. You gotta have tough guys to play through stuff if you want to win at this level.”

Trailing at halftime for the first time all season, Palisades faced its toughest test so far and passed with flying colors to stay unbeaten Friday night in San Pedro.

Seeing his potent passing attack sputtering, coach Dylen Smith switched to the ground game in the second half and the Dolphins overcame a 13-point deficit to pull out a 35-28 intersectional victory over host Mary Star of the Sea.

“My message at halftime was we need to run the ball and we don’t need to win the game on one pass,” said Smith, who piloted Palisades to the City Section Division I final last fall. “We finally had a collective effort in the fourth quarter, Harrison Carter ran hard and the defense made stops when it needed to.”

Carter caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jack Thomas for the first points of the second half and later took a pitch around left end for a 50-yard score that cut the Dolphins’ deficit to 28-21 with 5:47 left in the third quarter.

After drawing double coverage and being held to one catch through three and a half quarters, star receiver Demare Dezeurn caught two touchdown passes with less than six minutes left, the second a juggling 46-yarder for the go-ahead score with 1:21 remaining.

On its ensuing drive Mary Star marched to Palisades’ 20, but Carter broke up a pass in the flat on fourth and 10 with 12 seconds left to seal the win.

Johnny Rivera scores the first of his four touchdowns runs for Mary Star of the Sea against Palisades.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Thomas, who entered the game having thrown for 1,304 yards and 17 touchdowns without an interception, was held to 17 yards passing in the first half but finished nine of 16 for 123 yards and four touchdowns.

Carter rushed for 123 yards and caught three passes for 40 yards for the Dolphins (5-0), who are third in The Times’ City Section rankings behind Birmingham and Carson,

Johnny Rivera rushed 40 times for 217 yards and four touchdowns for the Stars (3-2), who led 20-7 at halftime and 28-21 entering the fourth quarter.

Palisades begins Western League action next Friday at Westchester while the Stars host St. Genevieve in their Camino Real League opener the same night.

At midseason, junior quarterback Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica is a revelation, someone who didn’t start last season and has thrust himself into MVP consideration with 19 touchdown passes in his last three games and 26 in five games for the unbeaten Tritons (5-0).

“He’s amazing,” L.A. Hamilton coach Elijah Asante said. “Someone’s going to get a real good quarterback. The kid can play.”

On Thursday afternoon, Hamilton and Pacifica decided to play each other after both schools were given forfeit victories. Instead of taking the forfeits, they played at Hamilton, and Pacifica won 42-14 with a running clock through much of the second half.

Lee completed nine of 10 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns.

He could have thrown touchdowns all night but Hamilton was able to run off plenty of time in the first half with short passes until drives were halted by a fumble and interception. Freshman quarterback Thaddeus Breaux completed 31 of 45 passes for 270 yards, with touchdown passes to Kristian Leslie and Jacob Riley. Leslie caught 16 passes for 125 yards.

What’s impressive about Lee is his ability to run Pacifica’s no-huddle, quick tempo offense. At the end of the second quarter, he moved the team quickly down field in 30 seconds, completing four consecutive passes for 82 yards and ending with a two-yard touchdown pass to Will Jones Jr. for a 28-0 halftime lead. It was like watching Corona Centennial’s effective no-huddle offense.

“We try to do it that way,” coach Mike Moon said.

Lee has benefited from a receiving group he’s known for years through youth football.

“I’ve been playing with the receivers since I was 6,” Lee said.

There’s also the offensive line made up of seniors.

“They’re my best friends,” Lee said.

Pacifica has to keep improving with its Marmonte League opener against Oaks Christian next week.

Hamilton (2-3) starts Western League play next week against Fairfax.

Thursday’s game brought no injuries and lots of sportsmanship. Both coaches were thrilled to have the opportunity to play. “A blessing,” Moon said.

Three weeks into the NFL season and already the Chargers have planted a flag atop the AFC West — and a Mt. Rushmore collection of coaches.

They dispatched of the Denver Broncos on Sunday, after beating the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders in the previous two weeks.

If you’re keeping a scorecard, those are wins over Andy Reid, Pete Carroll and now Sean Payton, all Super Bowl winners, in a historic start for Jim Harbaugh, who is quick to remind people not to “put me on that dance floor” because he has yet to win a ring.

But Sunday’s 23-20 triumph might have been the most impressive considering the Chargers were flat as day-old soda for a considerable stretch yet still found a way to come back and win.

“It’s a signature win,” said Harbaugh, whose 3-0 start matches the club’s best since 2002.

His team’s first home game of the season, when the SoFi Stadium stands were mostly orange, had the Chargers taking a 10-0 lead before surrendering 17 unanswered points that left them chasing the entire second half.

The game-tying touchdown was a beauty, a sidearmed, cross-body, 20-yard sling by Justin Herbert to ageless receiver Keenan Allen, who was blanketed in the end zone yet still came up with the catch.

“I was lower than he was,” Allen said of cornerback Riley Moss. “I put my hands out there and the ball just kind of stuck.”

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, right, celebrates with tight end Oronde Gadsden II after catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Everyone in the stadium watched in amazement. Everyone, that is, but Herbert. He was on the ground, so he didn’t see the touchdown but heard it.

“I’m sure it was an incredible catch by Keenan,” said the quarterback, who planned to watch the replays when he got home Sunday evening. “The defender wasn’t looking. That’s advantage Keenan.”

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Sam Farmer breaks down what has gone right for the Chargers over the course of their 3-0 start to the season.

That play locked the score at 20-20, but it was the ultra-accurate Cameron Dicker who broke that tie a couple minutes later with a 43-yard field goal as the clock expired. It was the eighth winning kick of his career and extinguished a remarkable effort by the Broncos, who sacked Herbert five times and pulled off the most creative touchdown in Payton’s two-season tenure with the team.

The play in question came with 46 seconds left in the first half with Denver trailing, 10-0, and facing a fourth-and-two at their 48.

Denver gave every indication it planned to run, and the Chargers called timeout to prepare their defense. When the Broncos emerged from the timeout, they loaded up the right side of their line with both starting tackles and a tight end between them. The ball was definitely going to that side.

Quarterback Bo Nix rolled right then surprised everyone by throwing left to a wide-open Courtland Sutton who essentially was ignored by defenders and raced untouched 52 yards for a score. It was the longest Broncos touchdown pass on fourth down since 1978 and a testament to the play-drawing artistry of Payton.

“He’s a master at scheming it up,” said Chargers safety Tony Jefferson, in his 11th season. “Ever since I got into the league, I’ve played the Saints so much [Payton’s former team] and you’ve always got to be on your P’s and Q’s with them.”

The Chargers had to watch their P’s and Q’s, and their old J.K. — running back J.K. Dobbins, who played for them last season and Sunday made them pay. He caught a screen pass for the Broncos at the beginning of the second half and turned it upfield for a 19-yard touchdown. He dashed down the sideline as if sprinting on a tightrope before diving across the goal line to give Denver its first lead of the day.

Cameron Dicker kicks the winning field goal as time expires in the Chargers’ 23-20 win over the Broncos on Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Payton lamented his team’s slow start and the 10 penalties, compared to three for the Chargers.

“Tomorrow’s an important day,” he told reporters afterward. “Tomorrow’s more important than the game we just played. Because we’re in this accelerated … we’ve got to get better fast. And if we do, I think this will be all right.”

Whereas Dobbins led all rushers with 83 yards, the Chargers are still looking to get their ground attack rolling. That just got a lot tougher as the team lost veteran running back Najee Harris to an ankle injury in the second quarter. He had to be helped off the field, and the replays were cover-your-eyes cringeworthy, although the severity of his injury was not disclosed.

That piles even more of the running burden onto the shoulders of rookie first-round pick Omarion Hampton, who ran for 70 yards in 19 carries including his first NFL touchdown, from three yards out.

The Chargers, who had to reshuffle their offensive line with the loss of left tackle Rashawn Slater before the season, had to do so again Sunday when right guard Mekhi Becton sustained a concussion.

Those are the realities of the game, though, just as the Chargers already had to adjust to losing edge rusher Khalil Mack (shoulder) as well as defensive backs Elijah Molden (hamstring) and Cam Hart (hip).

Chargers linebacker Troy Dye (43) tackles Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin in the third quarter Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“That’s the unfortunate part of the NFL,” Herbert said. “You’re going to have to deal with adversity.”

Against the Broncos, the Chargers dealt with it and wound up on top. That makes this victory particularly impactful, a touchstone that Harbaugh and others can point to in future high-pressure situations.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this does a lot for morale, and that was already high,” said Harbaugh, adding his team has “gravel in our gut.”

With that in mind, they have sent an unambiguous message to their three division foes: kick rocks.

LAS VEGAS — Welcome to Allegiant Stadium.

Remember to tip your Raiders.

The Chargers didn’t forget. They were the most generous tippers in town Monday night, with eight different players swatting away a total of 15 passes and intercepting three more in a 20-9 victory over their AFC West rivals.

It was a defensive masterpiece, one accomplished without star edge rusher Khalil Mack, whose arm was crunched on a tackle, and with linebacker Daiyan Henley — who at times appeared launched from a Circus Circus cannon — on the mend from a nasty stomach bug.

“At times it felt like there were more than 11 out there, especially in the secondary,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said.

Sometimes, a number is more than a number. For example, the Chargers are 2-0, but they’re even better than that because those two wins came against division opponents, counting the season-opening victory over Kansas City. The Chargers play their home opener Sunday against Denver with a chance to run the table on their first three of six division games.

Whereas quarterback Justin Herbert was in the spotlight in the win over the Chiefs, Monday’s game belonged to the defense — starting with Henley’s interception on the first play from scrimmage. He plucked a carom after teammate Alohi Gilman broke up Geno Smith’s first pass.

It was as if the supercharged stadium sprung a hissing leak.

“That’s deflating, bro,” Chargers safety Derwin James said. “It’s deflating to their coordinator — you’ve got your first 15 [plays] drawn up and the first play’s a pick? Very deflating.”

The play had the opposite effect on Henley, who felt so bad before the game his status was downgraded to questionable. He finished with a game-high 10 tackles and a sack.

“Saying I felt like crap is an understatement,” he said. “It was definitely a long game out there, but I got so much motivation just being part of this team, being with a group of guys that got my back no matter what.”

Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley celebrates after sacking Raiders quarterback Geno Smith in the fourth quarter on Monday night.

(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Tony Jefferson had an interception for the Chargers at the end of the first half, and Donte Jackson had one in the end zone near game’s end.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was 0 for 11 on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, the second-most attempts without a completion since ESPN began tracking the statistic in 2006.

Harbaugh heaped praise on James, calling him “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” and “Superman.”

“He was playing at the line of scrimmage, intermediate, deep half, blitzing off the edge,” the coach said. “He can play nickel, dime backer, corner — he’s a five-tool, maybe six-tool player. You’d have to compare him to Willie Mays.”

The Raiders generated 218 yards of offense, 171 fewer than their performance at New England the week before.

“What that really feels like is a real missed opportunity just in general,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said.

“We didn’t play well enough on the offensive side with the turnovers that add up. … They covered us up pretty good. I’m anxious to see the film.”

That won’t be the feel-good movie of the summer.

The Chargers, meanwhile, spiraled in all the right ways. Herbert threw a laser to Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone, and a pristine rainbow to Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard touchdown. He spun his passes with mechanical precision.

“The guy is exactly what we thought he was for a long time now,” Henley said of Herbert. “He’s been out there controlling and commanding the game, not just the offense, but commanding the game. When we give him the ball, we understand that we can rest knowing that [he] is going to get the job done.”

If this was a yardstick game, the visitors measured up and the Raiders took a ruler-rap across the knuckles, losing to the Chargers for the fourth time in the past five meetings.

Allegiant Stadium crackled with energy for this opener, with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wearing headphones in the coaches’ box, Lil Jon performing at halftime, and two football rockstars roaming the sidelines — Harbaugh and Carroll — longstanding rivals since their days at Stanford and USC, and San Francisco and Seattle.

Carroll became the first person to coach an NFL game at age 74, and youthful as he is, the game had to sap his spirit a bit. The Chargers were in control throughout.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Raiders coach Pete Carroll shake hands after the Chargers’ win Monday.

(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Both teams are breaking in first-round running backs, rookies Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and Ashton Jeanty of the Raiders. Each made some impressive plays, yet neither was a true game-changer. Hampton absorbed a hit from Maxx Crosby and lost the ball on an exchange when the Chargers were trying to put the game on ice.

In the second half, the Raiders had a 19-play, 11-minute drive that resulted in a field goal, the crowd booing in frustration as the kicking unit ran onto the field. Like winning $5 on a $100 bet.

Two NFL teams have not allowed a first-half touchdown this young season: Green Bay and the Chargers.

Brady, a Fox NFL analyst on Sundays, was able to catch his team after working the Philadelphia-Kansas City game the night before.

He came a fairly long way, and his franchise has a fairly long way to go.

No. 1-ranked Mater Dei opened its high school football season on Saturday in Florida looking every bit as good as last season when the Monarchs went unbeaten despite lots of mistakes in the second half.

New quarterback Ryan Hopkins threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter en route to a 26-23 victory over Ft. Lauderdale Aquinas, which has won six straight Florida state titles. Chris Henry Jr. caught two of them, covering 22 and 82 yards. Gavin Honore had a 62-yard touchdown reception.

Mater Dei scored 26 consecutive points after falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter. They led 26-3 at halftime. But the Monarchs went scoreless in the second half.

The Monarchs were hardly perfect, leaving coach Raul Lara plenty to work on. They had two interceptions in the first half that ended with turnovers on fumbles during the returns. Twice the Monarchs botched point-after attempts. There were numerous 15-yard personal foul penalties for taunting, late hits, grabbing the face mask and a horse collar. They had 13 penalties for 140 yards through three quarters.

The defense did what it has been doing well for years — stopping the run. USC commit Tomuhini Topui had a sack and Shaun Scott, another USC commit, was adding pressure at the linebacker position. Danny Lang led the secondary with two pass breakups.

Aquinas had fourth and goal from the one-yard line to start the fourth quarter and failed on a fumble trying to run up the middle to cut a 26-10 deficit. But Hopkins was soon intercepted. Aquinas scored on a quarterback option play by Mason Mallory to close to within 26-16 with 9:44 left. Then it was 26-23 on a touchdown pass with 1:36 left until Mater Dei ran out the clock.

Hopkins finished with 272 yards passing. Henry had four catches for 134 yards.

The Monarchs next make their home debut on Friday in a game that will likely result in a running clock. They face Bishop Montgomery, which lost five transfers to ineligibility.

Mater Dei was one of three Trinity League teams opening in Florida. St. John Bosco won 31-0 on Friday night in a game halted at halftime because of lightning. There was also lightning for Mater Dei’s game that delayed the start by one hour. Orange Lutheran was playing Saturday night against Miami Northwestern.

Three other Trinity League teams — Santa Margarita, JSerra and Servite — all lost nonleague openers on Friday.

The Galaxy needed a regulation victory and win by at least two goals to qualify for the knockout-round quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup.

Mission accomplished.

Joseph Paintsil scored in the first minute and Matheus Nascimento tallied in the 39th minute to spark a 4-0 victory against overmatched Santos Laguna of Liga MX on Thursday night at Dignity Healthy Sports Park.

The Galaxy, which have endured a nightmarish season in MLS, played like a different team, setting the tempo early with Paintsil tucking in the ball at the right post thanks to an assist by Mauricio Cuevas.

The Galaxy struck again when a sliding Nascimento tapped in the ball past goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo off a long cross from Cuevas to make it 2-0.

In the 45th minute, Choco Lozano was shown his second yellow card to leave Santos Laguna short-handed.

Defender Maya Yoshida then added a goal during injury time to give the Galaxy a 3-0 advantage at the half. Yoshida collected a rebound after a long shot by Paintsil and buried it.

At the end of the first half, midfielder Ramiro Sordo was also shown a red card and Santos Laguna was left with nine players to open the second half.

Substitute Lucas Sanabria scored in the second half off a nice feed from Yoshida in the 74th minute for the Galaxy’s final goal.

The victory moved the Galaxy from the fifth seed among the MLS standings to the third seed, passing the Portland Timbers and No. 4 seed Orlando City.

The Leagues Cup quarterfinals — comprised of four MLS teams and four Liga MX teams — will be held Aug. 19-20. The Galaxy will take on Pachuca in the quarterfinal.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Kelsey Plum had 30 points and six assists, Dearica Hamby added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Connecticut Sun 101-86 on Thursday night.

Los Angeles (10-14) has won four in a row, beginning with a 92-88 victory over the Sun at home July 13 that snapped a 13-game losing streak against Connecticut.

The Sparks set a season high for points and have scored 90 points or more in four consecutive games, tying the franchise record set in 2013.

Azurá Stevens had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Sparks. Julie Allemand scored 12 points.

Stevens made a three-pointer a little more than a minute into the second half that gave the Sparks the lead for good and ignited a 17-5 run that made it 64-54 with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

Connecticut’s Bria Hartley, who was called for a technical foul midway through the first quarter, was ejected after she picked up her second about three minutes into the third quarter. Hartley finished with 16 points in 18 minutes.

Sparks forward Azurá Stevens, driving to the basket against Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win Thursday.

(Chris Marion / NBAE via Getty Images)

Tina Charles led Connecticut (3-20) with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 17 points. The Sun have lost four in a row and 14 of 15.

It’s an age-old question when it comes to the Dodgers, cast upon a new-look roster battling familiar injury-related headaches.

In a best-case scenario, the Dodgers could end the season with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani (in some capacity) headlining their rotation.

In the bullpen, they could have Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol bolstering more heavily-used arms like Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Kirby Yates — plus wild card options in Ben Casparius, Emmet Sheehan and Jack Dreyer to serve in more versatile roles on the mound.

But best-case pitching scenarios, of course, have often been unrealized fantasies with the franchise in recent years.

Thus, down the stretch this season, the Dodgers’ top priority (after winning the division and securing a first-round bye) will be keeping their arms as healthy as possible.

That will be most important with Glasnow (who just returned from a shoulder injury) and Snell (who should be back from his own shoulder problem in the next couple of weeks). To this point, the Dodgers have signaled a reluctance to urgently pursue a starter at the trade deadline. And even if they did, the lack of available front-line options means it’d be difficult to insure against either (or, in a nightmare world) both going down again.

The Dodgers have been interested in adding to the bullpen, and might set their sights on a legitimate closer given Scott’s season-long struggles. But still, much of their depth will depend on Treinen (who is also nearing a return from a forearm injury), Kopech (who went on the 60-day IL after a knee surgery, but is still expected back this season) and Graterol (who is also still expected to return after missing the first half recovering from offseason shoulder surgery).

The Dodgers also have their fingers crossed on Roki Sasaki (hoping he can return in late August from his own shoulder issue) and haven’t yet ruled out Tony Gonsolin (though he has remained shut down since suffering an elbow injury). But for now, their primary hope is to keep Glasnow and Snell upright, and replenish an overworked bullpen with late-season reinforcements.

You only get one shot at a first impression — and for the Sparks, led by a first-year coach and a new superstar, Sunday marked the home crowd’s first glimpse of the new-look squad inside Crypto.com Arena.

With high aspirations, including a return to the playoffs, the Sparks faced an early litmus test in the Minnesota Lynx — a perennial contender and last year’s WNBA runner-up, led by one of the league’s elite talents in Napheesa Collier.

The Sparks showed they are clearly capable of competing for a playoff spot with their energetic and cohesive play, but their 89-75 loss to Minnesota also demonstrated they’re still behind the league’s elite teams.

In the first half, the Sparks (1-1) went toe-to-toe with the Lynx. They trailed 46-45 at halftime, an encouraging start for a team learning to gel under new leadership while facing a battle-tested opponent returning five starters from last year’s Finals run.

Dearica Hamby led the charge on the offensive glass, relentlessly converting at the free-throw line. She led the Sparks with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double.

Azurá Stevens was unshaken on catch-and-shoot looks, confidently letting it fly on her way to a team-high 21 points. Rickea Jackson added a physical presence, attacking defenders and establishing herself in the lane.

But by the start of the fourth quarter, the Sparks trailed by eight. They mounted a brief comeback, sparked by a Kelsey Plum steal that led to a transition layup, cutting the deficit to 80-75. A gritty defensive stand followed, with rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker and Collier hitting the deck for a loose ball, setting up another Sparks possession.

But missed opportunities on the offensive end allowed the Lynx (2-0) to regain momentum and push the lead to double digits — a margin that proved too much to overcome.

Already shorthanded, the Sparks suffered another blow when Jackson went down after a hard collision late in the third quarter. She remained on the floor for a few minutes before walking off with the help of trainers. Jackson watched the rest of the game from the bench.

Stevens was a much-needed contributor, showcasing the skills she worked on during the offseason, notably her improved three-point shooting. She scored 12 of the team’s first 17 points, making her first trio of three-point attempts to give the Sparks an early lead.

Defensively, Stevens drew the tough assignment of containing Collier, a matchup nightmare for the entire Sparks unit. Coming off a 34-point outing Friday that tied her career high, Collier scored 23 points.

The Sparks leaned heavily on Plum in their season-opening win Friday against Golden State, logging 40 minutes — a workload coach Lynne Roberts called “unsustainable.” To lighten the load, Roberts turned to Barker for critical minutes at the point.

While Barker wasn’t stellar offensively, she played 24 minutes and brought a much-needed jolt of defensive energy. Plum finished with 18 points and five assists.

It marked Barker’s first game at Crypto.com Arena — a milestone for the self-proclaimed “Mamba Mentality” disciple, stepping up for a depleted backcourt. With just four healthy guards available, the team continues to navigate Rae Burrell’s absence as she recovers from a knee injury that is expected to keep her out six to eight weeks.