2017 Los Angeles Sparks season

2017 Los Angeles Sparks season
CoachBrian Agler
ArenaStaples Center
Attendance10,687 per game
Results
Record26–8 (.765)
Place2nd (Western)
Playoff finishLost WNBA Finals 3–2 (Minnesota)
Team Leaders
PointsNneka Ogwumike 18.8 ppg
ReboundsCandace Parker 8.4 rpg
AssistsChelsea Gray 4.4 apg
Media
TelevisionSpectrum SportsNet
ESPN2, NBATV

The 2017 WNBA season was the 21st season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Sparks were the defending WNBA champions. The season tipped off on May 13.

The Sparks started the season winning two games, losing two games and then winning two more games. This stretch was followed by a loss to Dallas before the Sparks won eight straight games. Their winning streak was ended as they lost a Finals re-match with Minnesota. They lost the following game to Seattle before winning five of their next six games. They started August slowly, going 2–2 in their first four games of the month, but finished the month on a five game winning streak. The Sparks only had two regular season games in September, and they won them both. They finished the regular season with a 26–8 record, and secured the second seed in the 2017 WNBA Playoffs, finishing one game out of the first seed.

As the second seed in the playoffs, the Sparks earned a bye into the Semifinals. There, they faced-off against the Phoenix Mercury. Los Angeles had won the regular season series between the two teams 3–0 and won the playoff series by the same result. The closest game was Game 3, which Los Angeles won 89–87 to complete the sweep. The victory setup a finals re-match with Minnesota. The Sparks won the first and third games of the finals, but could not finish off the Lynx and lost the Finals 2 games to 3. The closest game was Game 1, which Los Angeles won by a single point. Minnesota won the final two games of the series by eleven points and nine points.

WNBA draft

See also: 2017 WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country
1 11 Sydney Wiese  United States Oregon State
3 35 Saicha Grant-Allen  Canada Dayton

Trades and Roster Changes

Date Transaction
February 8, 2017 Alana Beard resigned with Los Angeles Sparks [1]
July 28, 2017 Signed Sandrine Gruda[1]

Roster

2017 Los Angeles Sparks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
G/F 0 United States Beard, Alana 5' 11" (1.8m) 160 lb (73kg) 05-14-1982 Duke 11
G 1 United States Sims, Odyssey 5' 8" (1.73m) 160 lb (73kg) 07-13-1992 Baylor 3
G 2 United States Williams, Riquna 5' 7" (1.7m) 154 lb (70kg) 05-28-1990 Miami (FL) 4
F 3 United States Parker, Candace 6' 4" (1.93m) 175 lb (79kg) 04-19-1986 Tennessee 9
C 7 France Gruda, Sandrine 6' 4" (1.93m) 185 lb (84kg) 06-25-1987 France 5
G 12 United States Gray, Chelsea 5' 11" (1.8m) 170 lb (77kg) 10-08-1992 Duke 2
F 17 United States Carson, Essence 6' 0" (1.83m) 163 lb (74kg) 07-28-1986 Rutgers 9
G 24 United States Wiese, Sydney 6' 0" (1.83m) – 06-16-1995 Oregon State R
F/C 26 Senegal Diarra, Maimouna 6' 6" (1.98m) – 01-30-1991 Senegal R
F/C 30 United States Ogwumike, Nneka 6' 2" (1.88m) 174 lb (79kg) 07-02-1990 Stanford 5
F 33 United States Jackson, Tiffany 6' 3" (1.91m) 185 lb (84kg) 04-26-1985 Texas 8
C 42 United States Lavender, Jantel 6' 4" (1.93m) 185 lb (84kg) 11-12-1988 Ohio State 6
Head coach
United States Brian Agler (Wittenberg)
Assistant coaches
United States Tonya Edwards (Tennessee)
United States Bobbie Kelsey (Stanford)
Athletic trainer
United States Courtney Watson (California)
Strength and conditioning coach
United States Kelly Dormandy (Springfield College)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Game log

Preseason

2017 pre-season game log
May: 1–2 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 2 New York L 65-81 Samuelson (9) Wiese (6) Tied (2) Mohegan Sun Arena
2,782 		0-1
2 May 3 Connecticut L 62-79 Sims (12) Warley-Talbert (11) Sims (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
2,809 		0-2
3 May 6 San Antonio W 73-59 Ruef (18) Ruef (7) Gray (5) Pasadena College
1,000 		1-2
2017 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2017 game log
Total: 26–8 (Home: 16–1; Road: 10–7)
May: 3–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 13 Seattle W 78-68 Ogwumike (23) Jackson (8) Gray (8) Staples Center
10,603 		1-0
2 May 19 Washington W 99-89 Ogwumike (23) Parker (8) Parker (5) Staples Center
12,127 		2-0
3 May 24 Indiana L 90-93 Ogwumike (24) Parker (12) Parker (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
5,875 		2-1
4 May 27 Atlanta L 73-75 Gray (25) Ogwumike (7) Parker (6) McCamish Pavilion
4,253 		2-2
5 May 30 New York W 90-75 Ogwumike (22) Parker (11) Gray (6) Madison Square Garden
8,108 		3-2
June : 8–1 (Home: 4–0; Road: 4–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
6 June 6 Chicago W 79-70 Ogwumike (20) Ogwumike (11) Gray (5) Staples Center
8,523 		4-2
7 June 9 Dallas L 90-96 Ogwumike (28) Ogwumike (13) Sims (5) College Park Center
3,169 		4-3
8 June 10 Phoenix W 89-87 Gray (24) Tied (5) Gray (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
10,223 		5-3
9 June 13 Dallas W 97-87 Gray (24) Parker (7) Tied (5) Staples Center
7,233 		6-3
10 June 15 San Antonio W 80-75 Parker (20) Ogwumike (9) Parker (4) Staples Center
9,104 		7-3
11 June 18 Phoenix W 90-57 Ogwumike (18) Parker (8) Parker (6) Staples Center
9,916 		8-3
12 June 24 Indiana W 84-73 Ogwumike (21) Parker (13) Parker (7) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
9,241 		9-3
13 June 27 Connecticut W 87-79 Ogwumike (21) Ogwumike (9) Gray (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,899 		10-3
14 June 30 Atlanta W 85-76 Parker (21) Parker (13) Parker (5) McCamish Pavilion
4,119 		11-3
July : 6–3 (Home: 5–1; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
15 July 2 Washington W 76-69 Tied 17 Parker (11) Parker (4) Staples Center
9,185 		12-3
16 July 6 Minnesota L 77-88 Ogwumike (27) Ogwumike (14) Ogwumike (5) Xcel Energy Center
9,821 		12-4
17 July 8 Seattle L 69-81 Ogwumike (21) Ogwumike (9) Gray (6) KeyArena
7,104 		1125
18 July 13 Connecticut W 87-77 Ogwumike (29) Ogwumike (11) Parker (6) Staples Center
9,918 		13-5
19 July 17 Indiana W 80-62 Gray (16) Ogwumike (12) Ogwumike (6) Staples Center
11,386 		14-5
20 July 20 Chicago L 80-82 Ogwumike (24) Ogwumike (10) Gray (6) Staples Center
16,166 		14-6
21 July 25 Seattle W 68-60 Parker (17) Tied (10) Gray (5) Staples Center
10,012 		15-6
22 July 28 San Antonio W 85-73 Sims (22) Parker (17) Parker (11) AT&T Center
5,777 		16-6
23 July 30 Dallas W 95-74 Parker (23) Parker (10) Tied (8) Staples Center
11,053 		17-6
August : 4–2 (Home: 1–0; Road: 3–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
24 August 4 New York W 87-84 Parker (24) Gray (7) Parker (6) Staples Center
11,617 		18-6
25 August 6 Dallas L 79-85 Tied (21) Parker (9) Gray (4) College Park Center
3,903 		18-7
26 August 11 Minnesota W 70-64 Gray (23) Parker (10) Sims (5) Xcel Energy Center
11,533 		19-7
27 August 13 New York L 69-83 Sims (18) Parker (7) Sims (5) Madison Square Garden
10,083 		19-8
28 August 16 Washington W 95-62 Parker (21) Parker (7) Sims (7) Capital One Arena
7,279 		20-8
29 August 18 Chicago W 115-106 Ogwumike (32) Parker (12) Tied (10) Allstate Arena
6,826 		21-8
30 August 22 San Antonio W 75-55 Ogwumike (22) Ogwumike (14) Parker (6) Staples Center
12,433 		22-8
31 August 24 Phoenix W 82-67 Sims (28) Ogwumike (10) Sims (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
9,890 		23-8
32 August 27 Minnesota W 78-67 Parker (24) Parker (10) Gray (5) Staples Center
19,282 		24-8
September : 2–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
33 September 1 Atlanta W 81-56 Parker (18) Ogwumike (6) Sims (7) Staples Center
12,163 		25-8
34 September 3 Connecticut W 81-70 Ogwumike (21) Parker (14) Gray (7) Staples Center
12,236 		26-8
2017 season schedule

Playoffs

2017 playoff game log
Total: 5–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–2)
WNBA Semifinals: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 September 12 Phoenix W 79–66 Ogwumike (19) Ogwumike (9) Gray (6) Staples Center
7,963 		1–0
2 September 14 Phoenix W 86–72 Parker (24) Parker (13) Tied (6) Walter Pyramid
4,023 		2–0
3 September 17 Phoenix W 89–87 Sims (22) Ogwumike (12) Parker (11) Talking Stick Resort Arena
12,043 		3–0
WNBA Finals: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 September 24 Minnesota W 85–84 Gray (27) Parker (11) Gray (6) Williams Arena
11,823 		1–0
2 September 26 Minnesota L 70–68 Parker (17) Ogwumike (13) Parker (6) Williams Arena
11,434 		1–1
3 September 29 Minnesota W 75–64 Tied (16) Ogwumike (10) Gray (7) Staples Center
13,500 		2–1
4 October 1 Minnesota L 69–80 Ogwumike (17) Tied (8) Gray (9) Staples Center
13,500 		2–2
5 October 4 Minnesota L 76-85 Parker (19) Parker (15) Gray (8) Williams Arena
14,632 		2-3
2017 playoff schedule

Standings

# Western Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Minnesota Lynx - (1) 27 7 .794 – 15–2 12–5 13–3
2 Los Angeles Sparks - (2) 26 8 .765 1 16–1 10–7 12–4
3 Phoenix Mercury - (5) 18 16 .529 9 9–8 9–8 7–9
4 Dallas Wings - (7) 16 18 .471 11 10–7 6–11 7–9
5 Seattle Storm - (8) 15 19 .441 12 10–7 5–12 8–8
6 San Antonio Stars - e 8 26 .235 19 6–11 2–15 1–15

Playoffs

First round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 6)		Second round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 10)		Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 12 – Sept. 17)		WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 24 – Oct. 4)
2Los Angeles Sparks798689
4Connecticut Sun835Phoenix Mercury667287
5Phoenix Mercury795Phoenix Mercury881Minnesota Lynx8470648085
8Seattle Storm692Los Angeles Sparks8568756976
1Minnesota Lynx1019381
3New York Liberty686Washington Mystics818370
6Washington Mystics866Washington Mystics82
7Dallas Wings76

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Nneka Ogwumike 34 34 30.9 56.1% 34.0% 87.0% 7.7 2.1 1.9 0.5 18.8
Candace Parker 33 33 30.5 47.8% 35.4% 75.6% 8.4 4.3 1.5 1.7 16.9
Chelsea Gray 34 34 33.1 50.7% 48.2% 82.7% 3.3 4.4 1.1 0.2 14.8
Odyssey Sims 31 14 24.3 44.7% 19.0% 88.6% 1.9 3.5 1.5 0.2 9.6
Jantel Lavender 32 0 17.3 48.8% 31.3% 84.6% 3.0 0.9 0.3 0.2 7.3
Alana Beard 34 34 30.8 49.7% 31.6% 80.4% 3.3 2.2 2.1 0.5 6.9
Riquna Williams 23 6 17.7 32.1% 27.0% 86.4% 1.4 0.7 0.8 0.1 6.4
Essence Carson 24 14 19.3 40.4% 25.0% 48.5% 1.7 1.2 0.6 0.3 4.8
Sydney Wiese 28 0 7.9 38.3% 40.0% 50.0% 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.1 2.3
Tiffany Jackson 26 1 5.7 46.2% 0.0% 62.5% 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.1
Sandrine Gruda 7 0 4.0 36.4% — — 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1
Ify Ibekwe 6 0 3.8 11.1% 0.0% 66.7% 0.8 0.0 0.2 0.0 1.0
Maimouna Diarra 10 0 2.0 20.0% — 50.0% 1.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.3


Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Candice Parker Player of the Week June 19, 2017 [2]
Brian Agler Coach of the Month - June July 5, 2017 [3]
Candice Parker Player of the Week July 31, 2017 [4]
Candice Parker Player of the Week August 28, 2017 [5]
Candice Parker Player of the Month August 2017 [6]
Alana Beard WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award September 12, 2017 [7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Transactions".
  2. ^ "Connecticut's Jones and Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 19, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "Los Angeles' Brian Agler Named WNBA Coach of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 5, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Candace Parker, Tina Charles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  5. ^ "New York's Charles, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  6. ^ "New York's Charles, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "Los Angeles' Alana Beard Named 2017 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 12, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.