Wings-Sparks preview
Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike made history the last time she played the Dallas Wings.
Ogwumike set a WNBA record for most field goal-attempts without a miss, going 12-for-12 en route to a 32-point effort in which she was also perfect on seven shots from the free-throw line. She added 10 rebounds in a 97-73 win in Dallas on June 11.
The teams play Tuesday night in Los Angeles, the second of three meetings this season.
The Sparks (13-1) come in with the best record in the league after the previously unbeaten Minnesota Lynx lost two in a row -- including a home game to Los Angeles last week -- to drop to 13-2.
Dallas (7-8) had won four consecutive games before losing 92-87 to the visiting Indiana Fever on Saturday night.
"L.A. is a great team and they just came off of a huge win in Minnesota, so I know they are going to be ready for us," Wings forward Karima Christmas said on WNBA.com.
"We're going to try to come out and be ready for them. We didn't really play too well when they came here. We'll try to go on the road and buckle down, and be more aggressive on defense because they have an awesome pick-and-roll scheme just like Indiana."
The Sparks had their way offensively in the first meeting, shooting 58.5 percent (38 of 65). They were 33 of 48 (68.8 percent) on 2-point shots.
Ogwumike is still hot, scoring 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting in an 80-73 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night. She is averaging 17.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, both team-highs.
Center Candace Parker averages 15.3 points per game, and guard Kristi Toliver is at 14.8.
Dallas has a strong, young backcourt of Odyssey Sims (16.4 points per game) and Skylar Diggins (12.3). Christmas averages 14.5 points. Forward Glory Johnson, who moved into the starting lineup last game, has averaged 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds in eight games since returning from a season-opening seven-game suspension.
The Sparks shoot a WNBA-high 48.8 percent from the field. Dallas is 11th among 12 teams at 40.9 percent.
