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Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
CloseMechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike missed Monday’s game with a back injury, and Los Angeles saw its nine-game WNBA winning streak end with a 96-78 loss to Minnesota.
Ogwumike played just seven minutes Sunday in the Sparks’ victory over Atlanta. She had to leave that game because her back “kind of just locked up on her,” according to coach Derek Fisher.
Fisher said Monday he hopes Ogwumike will not be out long. Monday’s game was rescheduled from last Wednesday, postponed by the players’ protest following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Wisconsin.
“Nneka normally is a pretty quick healer,” Fisher said. “We can be cautiously optimistic about her getting back soon. But we’ll try to be as smart as possible to make sure that when she’s back, we don’t have to worry about her maybe having to step out again because we didn’t have it right the first time.”
Ogwumike, the 2016 WNBA MVP, is averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds for Los Angeles. The Sparks felt her absence Monday — especially on defense — as Lynx post players Napheesa Collier and Damiris Danta combined for 42 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists.
“What you miss most when Nneka isn’t on the court is just her consistency, her attention to detail,” Fisher said. “A person that’s willing to do what’s best for the team each possession.”