WNBA: Flau'jae Johnson, Storm send Sparks to another one-sided loss

LOS ANGELES — Flau'jae Johnson scored a game-high 23 points as the Seattle Storm cruised to an 82-64 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday, extending the Sparks' losing streak to three games.

Katie Lou Samuelson added three 3-pointers off the bench, while the Storm earned just their third win in their last 16 games. Seattle improved to 6-17 after leading nearly the entire contest, trailing only once at 3-2.

The Storm built a lead as large as 26 points against a struggling Sparks squad that continues to miss leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who remains sidelined with a leg injury. Los Angeles dropped to 8-11 after suffering its third straight lopsided defeat, following losses to Toronto and Indiana.

The Sparks struggled offensively without Plum, shooting just 22-of-65 (33.8%) from the field and 5-of-29 (17.2%) from beyond the arc.

Seattle made 10 of its 33 attempts from 3-point range. Johnson connected on three of those shots and recorded at least 23 points for the third time in the Storm's last five games. She bounced back after scoring just one point in Saturday's loss to Portland.

Samuelson sparked a decisive second-quarter run by making two early 3-pointers, while Jade Melbourne added another from long range to cap an 11-5 surge that gave Seattle a double-digit advantage. The Sparks never cut the deficit below seven points for the remainder of the game.

Melbourne finished with 11 points, while Natisha Hiedeman contributed 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Seattle's defense also played a key role, forcing 19 turnovers and converting them into 25 points. Awa Fam recorded four steals, while Jordan Horston added three as the Storm totaled 14 steals.

Dearica Hamby led Los Angeles with 17 points. Former Storm All-Star Nneka Ogwumike posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against her former team.

No other Sparks player scored in double figures, with Kate Martin contributing eight points off the bench. -Field Level Media/Reuters