Slumping Sparks, Wings look to end losing skids

The Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings look to get back on the winning track and out of the Western Conference cellar when they square off on Friday in a Commissioner's Cup clash in Arlington, Texas.

Both teams dropped their opening game in the Commissioner's Cup, the WNBA's annual in-season competition.

The Sparks (2-6) hit the road after an 85-80 home loss against Phoenix on Sunday despite 32 points from 32-year-old Odyssey Sims, her biggest output since posting a career-high 39 in July 2014 as a member of the Tulsa Shock. It was Sims' first game scoring at least 30 points since her All-WNBA campaign in 2019 when she played for Minnesota.

Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum had 15 points each as Los Angeles dropped its third straight. The Sparks coughed up a 13-point halftime lead but still had a chance to win before Plum committed a turnover in the final seconds.

The Sparks are set to have guard Rickea Jackson back on the court after missing five of the last six games -- some due to a concussion and others for personal reasons. Jackson has played in just three games, scoring 13 in Los Angeles' season-opening win over Golden State but just eight combined points in two subsequent contests.

"The team is trending in the right direction," Jackson said. "In the first half (against Phoenix) we played great basketball, we moved the ball well and I feel like that's who we are, that's what we are. Just continue to trust in the system."

The Wings (1-7) return home after an 83-77 loss at Seattle on Tuesday. DiJonai Carrington led Dallas with 22 points while Myisha Hines-Allen racked up 16 points and 12 rebounds. All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale scored just eight points, her third single-digit scoring performance of the season after having only two in the last two years combined.

Paige Bueckers, the top overall draft pick in April's draft, missed her second straight game with a concussion. She and fellow point guard Ty Harris (also out with a concussion) were at team practice on Thursday but did not participate.

The Wings had an 11-point lead in the third quarter against Seattle, but coughed it up while allowing a 16-2 run. Dallas has dropped three straight since beating Connecticut on the road on May 27.

"We play really good in spurts, but in the fourth quarter, we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit," Ogunbowale said. "Sometimes it's just focus at the end, staying locked in, doing what we did to get the lead. It's not like we're just getting blown out. It's just little things we need to fix -- taking good shots, getting back on defense, playing smart. Now it's about closing."