ARLINGTON, TX – The Dallas Wings will head west for a two-game back-to-back road trip. The Wings will take on the Sparks in Los Angeles for the first time this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 pm CT/7:30 pm PST.
AGAINST THE SPARKS
In the most recent meeting, the Wings stomped the Sparks 101-72 behind 10 different players scoring, led by Liz Cambage who recorded 20 points in just 21 minutes. The Wings now own the series for the year at 1-0. Last season both teams split the series at 2-2 with each team taking their wins on their own home courts. Tomorrow night’s matchup with mark as the 60th meet-up between both teams. The Sparks own the overall series 37-22.
ON THE ROAD
The Wings are 2-4 on the road this season, picking up victories in Atlanta and Indiana. The Wings are averaging 84.5 in their two road victories. In the Wings first road victory against the Dream, they were led by Skylar Diggins-Smith, who scored 24 points and added five rebounds. Against the Fever, the Wings were led by Diggins-Smith yet again. This time is was a career performance from the three-time all-star, as she totaled a career-high 35 points and 12 rebounds.
WHERE WE STAND
The Wings are currently sixth in the WNBA standings with a 6-5 record, including 4-1 at home. Since moving to Dallas, the Wings have never finished above seventh in the final standings. In their inaugural season, the Wings finished 11th in the league before improving to seventh in the 2017 season. The Wings are looking to record their first winning season since moving to the DFW area.
AGAINST THE WEST
The Wings are 3-5 against the Western Conference, with wins against the Storm, the Aces and the Sparks. The Wings lost the opening game of the season to the Mercury and fell to the 2017 WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx on the road. Against the Storm, the Wings were led by Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage who combined for 52 points in a 94-90 win. In their most recent victory, the Wings beat the Sparks 101-72 behind a balanced performance in which 10 players scored. The Wings will play their sixth straight game in an 8-game stretch against Western Conference foes on Sunday when they take on the Seattle Storm at home.
MOMENT OF A LIFETIME
Rookie Azurá Stevens recorded her first career start against the Los Angeles Sparks. The 22-year-old Stevens was drafted with the sixth pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft and came off the bench for the first 10 games of the season. In her first start, Stevens scored a career-high 13 points on 5-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-5 from downtown. The 6-foot-6 phenom also tied a career high with six rebounds and blocked two shots in 24 minutes. The rookie is averaging 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and is second among rookies with 0.75 blocks per contest. She also leads the Wings in three-point percentage, shooting 34.3 percent on the season. She earned her second straight start against the Storm and finished with five points, two rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.
BEASTS ON BOARDS
The Wings currently rank second in defensive rebounds and fourth in total rebounds. Liz Cambage leads the way, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game – second best in the league. Cambage recorded a career-high 18-rebound performance, including 16 defensive rebounds against the Las Vegas Aces. Cambage also set the WNBA single-game high with her 16 defensive rebounds against the Aces. Earlier in the season, Cambage grabbed 16 rebounds against the Atlanta Dream, which helped the Wings set the WNBA single-game high with 39 defensive rebounds. Kayla Thornton is averaging 4.8 rebounds for the second-best rebounding team in the league, while Skylar Diggins-Smith is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game. The Wings outrebounded the Sparks 37-24 in the team’s most recent win.