On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Sparks were set to celebrate their fan appreciation night during the final home game of the regular season. The evening also served as a chance for the Southern California crowd to pay tribute to Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi, who may have played her last professional game in Los Angeles.
However, the game took a dramatic turn when Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson and Mercury star Brittney Griner were ejected with 18.8 seconds left in the first half after a heated exchange near the Phoenix bench. Security and Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts intervened to separate the players, but tensions continued to rise when Sophie Cunningham and Crystal Dangerfield also received technical fouls.
Despite the Sparks leading by seven points at the time of the ejections, the Mercury stepped up their game in the second half, implementing full-court pressure and a zone defense that flustered the Sparks, resulting in a 10-point third quarter deficit. The Mercury ultimately emerged victorious with an 85-81 win.
According to the WNBA rules, players not actively participating in the game must remain near their bench during altercations. Violation of this rule can lead to suspensions and fines. The Phoenix coaching staff managed to prevent bench players from getting involved in the incident, potentially avoiding further consequences.
Concerns now shift to Griner’s availability moving forward, as she entered the game with four technical fouls, short of the automatic suspension threshold of seven. The league will decide if further discipline is necessary for the altercation with Jackson, with Griner’s history of a three-game suspension in 2019 adding weight to the situation.
“Not a clear explanation,” said Tibbetts regarding the referees’ handling of the incident postgame. The Mercury have one game left in the regular season and are locked into the No. 7 seed for the playoffs.
Phoenix will face Seattle at home before heading to Minnesota for the playoffs, while the Sparks wrap up their season against Minnesota as well. Los Angeles will be eager to have Jackson back on the court for the finale of what has been a challenging all-rookie campaign.
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(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
