---
title: "Ogwumike's double-double lifts a shorthanded Sparks past the Sky"
description: "The Los Angeles Sparks, playing shorthanded, beat the Chicago Sky on Friday night behind a double-double from Nneka Ogwumike, a steadying performance from the veteran forward that carried a depleted lineup at Crypto.com Arena."
category: "Los Angeles"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles
author: "Elias Rosen"
published: 2026-07-11T04:56:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-11T04:56:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/ogwumikes-double-double-lifts-a-shorthanded-sparks-past-the-sky
tags: ["sparks", "wnba", "nneka-ogwumike", "los-angeles", "basketball"]
---
# Ogwumike's double-double lifts a shorthanded Sparks past the Sky

The Los Angeles Sparks, playing shorthanded, beat the Chicago Sky on Friday night behind a double-double from Nneka Ogwumike, a steadying performance from the veteran forward that carried a depleted lineup at Crypto.com Arena.

The Sparks were missing pieces on Friday night. Nneka Ogwumike made sure it did not matter.

## The game

Ogwumike posted a double-double to lead a shorthanded Los Angeles team past the Chicago Sky at Crypto.com Arena, [the Los Angeles Times reported](https://www.latimes.com/sports/sparks/story/2026-07-10/sparks-sky-ogwumike-double-double-wnba-recap). With the Sparks down a key contributor, the veteran forward's scoring and work on the glass anchored the win, the kind of steadying, do-everything night that has defined her career.

## Leaning on the veterans

Playing without a full complement, Los Angeles leaned on experience and balance rather than any single hot hand. Ogwumike's presence in the paint gave the Sparks a reliable anchor at both ends, and the team got enough support around her to control the game and keep Chicago at arm's length.

## The bigger picture

For a Sparks side that has spent stretches of the season managing injuries and absences, a win like this one matters beyond the standings: it is proof the group can absorb a missing starter and still find a way. If Los Angeles is going to make a push in the second half of the WNBA season, nights when the veterans carry a thin rotation are exactly the kind it will need. On Friday, with Ogwumike leading the way, the Sparks got one.