Reshanda Gray, Liberty set to face Sparks
Liberty forward Reshanda Gray is back in New York for the second time in her career after signing a hardship contract in May.
On Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, she'll face the team with which she spent the 2020 season as the Liberty (6-6) conclude a five-game trip against the Sparks (5-6).
Sunday's contest commemorates the 25th anniversary of the first WNBA game in league history. On June 21, 1997, New York defeated Los Angeles 67-57 on the road in front of a crowd of 14,284.
It's another opportunity for Gray to prove she belongs in the league. She scored a season-best 17 points in a 103-76 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night.
That loss left New York with a 1-5 record in its last six games.
"I'm on a hardship waiver, so I have a point to prove," Gray said. "So every game I have to go out there and show people why I deserve to be around and why I deserve to be here."
Los Angeles is playing its eighth game of the month on Sunday. It fell 3-4 in the previous seven after Friday's 80-66 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. All four of the Sparks' losses have been by at least 10 points.
Erica Wheeler scored 17 points on Friday and pushed past the 1,500-point mark in her career. Brittney Sykes (14) and Bria Holmes (11) also scored in double figures.
The Sparks have no plans to dwell on Friday's defeat.
"You win some, you lose some," Wheeler said. "We've got another one Sunday. We really just have to flip the page, let this one go and worry about New York."
From an injury standpoint, Los Angeles is still missing Nneka Ogwumike (knee), Chiney Ogwumike (knee) and Jasmine Walker, who just had surgery to repair a torn ACL in her right knee.
For New York, Jocelyn Willoughby is out for the season (Achilles) and Natasha Howard is sidelined with a knee injury.
--Field Level Media
