Sky-Sparks Preview

The Los Angeles Sparks will try to remain unbeaten when they play host to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

The Sparks (9-0) are coming off a 97-73 victory over the Dallas Wings. Nneka Ogwumike turned in a monster performance, scoring 32 points on 12-of-12 shooting with 10 rebounds. Ogwumike is leading the WNBA in field-goal percentage, shooting a sizzling 67.9 percent from the field.

The Sky (5-5) are smarting from an 86-80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Chicago led 62-49 with 5:45 to play in the third quarter before being outscored 37-18 over the final 15 minutes. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Chicago, which is on a roll after losing four of its first five games to start the season.

The Sparks beat the Sky 93-80 when they met May 24 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Candace Parker and Ogwumike had big games for Los Angeles as the former had 26 points and nine rebounds while the latter had 19 and nine, respectively.

Jessica Breland led the Sky with 16 points and nine rebounds in that contest. Jamierra Faulkner had 17 points and 10 assists while Elena Delle Donne, the WNBA's fifth-leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, was held to eight points on 4-of-14 shooting.

Tuesday's contest marks the start of a brief but difficult road trip for Chicago. After visiting Los Angeles, the Sky will travel to face the Atlanta Dream on Friday. Atlanta (7-3) is leading the Eastern Conference despite losing two of its last three games.

Los Angeles is beginning a three-game homestand that will feature two games against Western Conference rivals. The Sparks will entertain the Mercury (4-6) on Friday before facing off with the Minnesota Lynx (10-0) on June 21.

Minnesota, the only other undefeated team in the WNBA, will then host Los Angeles on June 24 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.