Sparks honor DeLisha Milton-Jones, then lose their sixth straight

On a night when a franchise legend had her jersey raised to the rafters, the Sparks played with inspiration and determination but were unable to snap their losing streak, falling to the New York Liberty 113-109 on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.

The Sparks (10-17) have lost six straight.

Down 11 with 3:30 left, the Sparks pulled to within 112-109 on Nneka Ogwumike’s three-pointer with 15 seconds left, but Breanna Stewart sank the second of two free throws with 13.9 seconds left to ice it for New York (16-12).

Despite the absence of leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who is averaging 23.9 points a game but has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the teams’ prior meeting June 25, the Sparks had a balanced attack with six players in double figures.

Rae Burrell led the charge with 24 points, Ogwumike added 21 points and nine assists, Erica Wheeler had 17 points and nine assists, Ariel Atkins had 16, Dearica Hamby had 12 and Cameron Brink had 11 for the Sparks, who squandered a chance to inch a half game in front of Portland for fifth place in the WNBA’s Western Conference. The Fire (11-17) lost to Las Vegas earlier Tuesday.

Stewart had 29 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 27 for the Liberty, who were without Leonie Fiebich (left foot soreness), Satou Sabally (concussion protocol) and Marine Johannes (left ankle). The Sparks trailed by only one point, 85-84, entering the fourth quarter.

The Sparks paid homage to DeLisha Milton-Jones by retiring her No. 8 jersey in an emotional halftime ceremony. The 6-1 forward is the fourth player in the team’s 30-year history to be so honored, joining Penny Toler (No. 11 in 2006); Lisa Leslie (No. 9 in 2010); and Candace Parker (No. 3 in 2025).

“Moments like this are well worth the wait,” said Milton-Jones, who spent 11 seasons over two stints in the purple and gold (1999-2004 and 2008-12). “I’m filled with pure joy and gratitude knowing my day has come to receive flowers of this magnitude for the legacy I’ve left within the game of basketball and the Sparks organization.”

Milton-Jones played a pivotal role in the team’s back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 and was nicknamed “D-Nasty” by former Sparks head coach Michael Cooper, a five-time NBA champion with the Showtime-era Lakers. Joining her for the occasion were husband Roland Jones and Parker.

“We’re not just retiring a number, we’re retiring a legacy,” Parker said.

Milton-Jones ranks third in franchise history in blocks (245) and fourth in points (4,018), field goals (1,509), rebounds (1,882), steals (440) and minutes (10,384). She represented Los Angeles in the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game and her 683 assists are the eighth-most in Sparks history.

After allowing the first basket, the Sparks went on a 9-0 run, but back-to-back three-pointers by Ionescu pulled New York to within one. Ionescu scored 14 points in the first quarter, propelling the visitors to a 36-30 lead.

Ionescu was held scoreless in the second quarter as the home team turned its defensive intensity up a notch and carried a 56-53 lead into the locker room thanks to Burrell’s 13 points and Brink’s 11.