The Los Angeles Sparks shook off their Tuesday’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces with a giant double-overtime highway win, 108-106, towards the Seattle Storm on Friday. The Sparks had 4 out of their 5 starters rating 20+ factors, with the lone participant in single digits being level guard Julie Allemand. Though Allemand’s field rating might not leap out, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts made positive to credit score her lead guard for taking part in an impactful function towards the Storm.
“She’s been phenomenal, and her line by no means actually highlights her impression. However 9 rebounds, that’s fairly impactful in your level guard. 5 assists, she’s plus-12 for the sport,” Roberts mentioned. “She’s so regular and underneath management and all the time considering subsequent play and what set are we in. She simply has an actual calming impact. And that’s her character too.”
“She is a competitor and so whereas she’s very regular, she desires to win and he or she’s going to do what it takes,” Roberts continued. “However she’s been a key purpose for us, I believe we’ve gained seven of our final 9, and her type of main the ship on the market on the level guard spot is just not coincidental.”
Julie Allemand made her Sparks debut this season after being sidelined all of final 12 months because of an ankle harm. The Sparks made the choice to convey her over for this 12 months, however her coaching camp debut got here late as she tended to a knee harm.
By Allemand’s personal admission, she was attempting too onerous to slot in with the group at first of the 12 months, and was taking part in extra timid than what she’s able to. Following a profitable run at EuroBasket with the Belgium nationwide group, she got here again with hovering confidence and has been capable of finding her function on the group. In actual fact, it was Lynne Roberts who informed Allemand that the participant who was on show for Belgium is the participant she wanted for the Sparks.
In the course of the group’s latest stretch the place they’ve gained seven of the final 9 video games, a stretch that goes again to earlier than All-Star Weekend, Allemand had moved into the beginning lineup as the purpose guard. She changed Odyssey Sims whom the Sparks reduce in early July.
In that point interval, Allemand has solely had one sport the place she’s scored in double figures. However she’s had two video games of double digits in assists. She doesn’t essentially want the ball in her arms or performs run for her to be impactful. With loads of gamers on the group who can get a bucket, Allemand fills the gaps and balances issues out along with her all-around play.
The Sparks will return residence and attempt to put collectively one other win streak with video games this coming week towards the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Solar.