turnover

To be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Sparks aren’t quite there.

In their season opener, the Sparks couldn’t build momentum against defending champion Las Vegas and fell 105-78 behind a remarkably efficient shooting day from the Aces.

Las Vegas shot 63% from the floor and the Sparks had few answers. Nneka Ogwumike had 19 points and 10 rebounds in her return to the Sparks, and Kelsey Plum opened her campaign with 27 points. Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 19 points and Jackie Young picked up 20 points and nine assists. Chennedy Carter had 22 points in her first WNBA game since 2024.

Plum scored 11 of her points in the fourth quarter, but by then the Aces had opened a 20-plus point lead.

The Aces were coming off a 33-point blowout opening day loss to Phoenix on Saturday but showed no sign of fatigue.

Las Vegas (1-1) pounded the paint early with 26 points in the first half and 14 free throws to seven from the Sparks (0-1). They also shot 68.8% in the opening quarter to lead 29-14.

But the Sparks’ offense also seemed a bit out of sorts, with nine turnovers in the opening half that the Aces turned into 10 points. Las Vegas opened the second quarter on an 18-5 run.

The Sparks narrowed the deficit to one by halftime following an Ogwumike three-pointer and backhand layup late in the second. But mostly, the Sparks’ defense activated, forcing 10 turnovers, led by two steals apiece from Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler to fuel the comeback.

The Aces expanded their lead back to nine following a pair of turnovers from Atkins and Plum.

Last season, the Sparks had the worst defense in the WNBA, giving up 88.2 points per game. Defensive woes haunted them once more with 33 points allowed on 73.7% shooting in the third quarter, allowing the Aces to pull away.

Even with 15 offensive rebounds to the Aces’ six, the Sparks’ offense wasn’t efficient enough to compete. The Sparks also only got seven from the bench, with Wheeler shooting one for 11 in 20 minutes.

The Sparks host Indiana (0-1) on Wednesday night.

The Lakers got a taste of a playoff atmosphere against the Houston Rockets only a month ago. They can recreate the moment again, this time with real postseason stakes, but the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference will be missing a key component from those thrilling wins.

Luka Doncic, still getting specialized treatment in Europe for his Grade 2 left hamstring strain, is a long shot to return during the first round of the playoffs, which begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.

Between Doncic and Austin Reaves, who is out with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, the Lakers have lost their two leading scorers and an average of 56.8 points per game. They lost the No. 3 seed. But by finishing the season with three consecutive wins to maintain home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, they haven’t lost their fight.

They’ll need it against the Rockets.

“The playoffs, to me, are all about resiliency,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “… You’re playing one opponent in the playoffs and there’s a bunch of things that are gonna happen, some good, some bad. You may get down in a series. You may get down in the game, you may get down in the game on the road. And just, you have to play with resiliency.”

Here’s how the teams match up:

OKLAHOMA CITY — The score wasn’t the only thing that made this the Lakers’ worst loss of the season.

Even more concerning than the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was superstar guard Luka Doncic’s health after the 27-year-old hobbled off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter.

Doncic attempted to drive into the lane at the 7:39 mark of the third quarter but pulled up suddenly in the midrange. He stopped as the ball bounced out of bounds. He grabbed at the back of his left leg and hobbled to the baseline, where he lowered himself to the court, rolled over to his back and covered his face. Concerned teammates surrounded him. Coach JJ Redick offered a hand to pull him off the court.

Doncic, who was just named Western Conference player of the month after scoring 600 points in March, was limited to 12 points, seven assists and six turnovers before the injury. It was the second Lakers injury scare in a game that was supposed to be a marquee matchup between the hottest teams in the league.

Austin Reaves was hobbling through the first quarter, grabbing at his left lower back at nearly every sudden movement. He appeared to get hurt while chasing down a loose ball with 6:23 remaining.

The Lakers had eight turnovers in the first quarter. Lu Dort had two steals and hit all four of his three-pointers as the Thunder were seven for 11 from three-point range. Reaves, who returned from the locker room with 9:40 left in the second quarter, was the only Laker player with multiple made field goals in the first quarter.

He had two.