It was a disappointing result for the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday, June 15, at the Chase Center against the Golden State Valkyries, when they lost 58-78. Head coach Lynne Roberts spoke about the loss in the post-game interview.

The game saw the league's leading scorer before this game, Kelsey Plum, end the night with her lowest point total, nine, while having just one rebound and an assist. Roberts spoke about the game when asked about the defensive performance from the three-point line.

"I mean, defense is a choice, and you know, we came out casual in the first quarter. We were down 15, and we were playing catch-up the whole time. To me, that's the story of the game. Whether that's three-point defense or layups or whatever, it's all of it."

Roberts spoke about how the team was down 15 points with the scoreline being 10-25, and how her team was trying to catch up the whole game.

With just 58 points on the scoreboard, this was Spark's lowest score this season, while also having a second-worst field goal percentage this season at 33.3 percent.

Not only that, but they have received a setback in the form of an ankle injury, which happened to forward Cameron Brink.

With this loss and setback, how do things look for the Sparks in this season so far?

Los Angeles Sparks Defensive Turmoil Risen After Latest Loss

The Valkyries broke the Sparks' three-game winning streak while hopping on it themselves. Sparks now hold a 7-7 record in the league. They now stand fifth in the Western Conference standings and eighth in the league standings.

Kelsey Plum has been their best offensive player, averaging 25 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. Also, with Brink now injured and possibly out for the next game, the Sparks are in trouble, as she averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Furthermore, the Sparks have been defensively awful this season, ranking last in the league for allowing the most points per game, at 90.4. They have also allowed the most assists per game this season, at 22.6.

They rank 14th in defense, with a defensive rating of 111.1. Additionally, they rank 13th in making blocks, averaging 3.4 blocks per game. The Sparks are also leaking points in the paint, allowing 40.9 points per game.

The Sparks will now play against the league leaders, the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx hold an 11-3 record and will be the strongest opponents the Sparks have faced this season. The game will take place on Wednesday, June 17, at the crypto.com Arena.

Read more at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi