There’s no question the Los Angeles Sparks can score.

But if they’re to reach the WNBA playoffs and make any sort of run, they’ll need to play better defense.

The Sparks showed what they’re capable of as they snapped a three-game skid with an 89-72 victory against visiting Portland on Sunday.

They’ll look to continue that trend Wednesday at the Seattle Storm in a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Sparks had a league-worst defensive rating of 115.6. After trailing by two at the half, they allowed just 12 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth to post a double-digit victory.

“We were motivated,” said Nneka Ogwumike, who scored 20 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds. “We were playing for each other, we were playing with each other and defense, you know … offense is offense but defense is really where it’s at.

“And I think we did a really good job of not leaving any gas in the tank at the defensive end.”

Dearica Hamby added 22 points and 12 rebounds and Kelsey Plum totaled 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Sparks (5-6, 1-2 Commissioner’s Cup), who allowed a season low for points.

“You get rewarded from winning,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “When we focus on the discipline to do the little things for each other, that’s how you build trust out there as a unit, and then that just kind of has a snowball effect. So it’s not going to be any different playing Seattle, in terms of we’re going to have a game plan that’s well thought out and it’s us choosing to do it for 40 minutes.”

The Storm (3-10, 0-4 Commissioner’s Cup) will be desperate to snap a six-game losing streak and earn their first victory against a Western Conference opponent this season (0-5).

Seattle is coming off a 101-91 road loss at defending WNBA champion Las Vegas.

First-year Storm coach Sonia Raman started second-year standout Dominique Malonga and rookie Awa Fam, the No. 3 overall pick in this spring’s WNBA draft, together in the frontcourt for the first time.

Malonga finished with 19 points and five rebounds despite battling foul trouble and Fam added 16 points and three rebounds.

“It’s a little bit weird because we never played together,” Fam said when asked about being paired with Malonga. “We (had) maybe one practice or two practices, so it’s not a lot. We are in this process of (getting to know) each other. It’s very fun because we are looking forward to playing more together. … I think we can be a really great duo, but it’s just step-by-step, game-by-game and … day-by-day.”

–Field Level Media

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil cannot guarantee that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund would fund the remainder of the league’s 2026 season, but he said LIV was glad to take the investors at their word.

O’Neil was interviewed on CNBC Tuesday, several weeks after the PIF confirmed they were pulling funding from the five-year-old golf circuit after this year.

“I can say they’ve been terrific partners so far, and you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” O’Neil said. “They’ve been very public about funding us through the season, so we are full steam ahead.”

O’Neil was pressed on recent reports that LIV’s final four events this season may not go on as planned as PIF ponders pulling its funding even sooner. One tournament, LIV Golf Louisiana, was scheduled for the final week of June but was postponed not long after the initial news about PIF.

With PIF backing away and its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan stepping down as LIV Golf’s chairman, the league has begun wooing new investors, reportedly seeking around $250-350 million in investment capital to kickstart a “LIV 2.0” plan.

O’Neil, a longtime sports executive in his second year as LIV’s CEO, was asked directly whether he could guarantee the final four events in England, New Jersey, Indianapolis and Michigan will take place this summer.

“What I can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business,” O’Neil replied.

O’Neil went on to say that he feels LIV has “incredible business momentum.

“What we don’t have is a lot of time, so we’re very urgently out there talking to those who are interested,” he said.

With the Louisiana event postponed, LIV Golf has a six-week hole in the schedule this summer before it’s set to return at LIV Golf UK from July 23-26.

–Field Level Media

Great Britain’s Katie Boulter rallied after her Monday match carried over to Tuesday and knocked off No. 8 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada at the HSBC Championships in London.

Fernandez was up one set and they were level at 3-3 in the second set when the match was suspended due to darkness on Monday at the Queen’s Club. Boulter went on to win 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 in the Round of 32. Boulter overcame nine double faults by converting 3 of 6 break-point opportunities to 3 of 8 for Fernandez.

Sixth-seeded Iva Jovic of the United States topped Antonio Ruzic of Croatia 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, 23 minutes. Seventh-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania got past Australia’s Maddison Inglis 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Straight-set winners included Great Britain’s Emma Radacanu, the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova, Croatia’s Donna Vekic and Germany’s Laura Siegemund and Tatjana Maria, who is defending champion. Vekic moved into the main draw in as a lucky loser to replace French Open semifinalist Marta Kostyuk (ankle).

Libema Open

Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska upset sixth-seeded Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2 in one hour, 18 minutes at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

Yastremska converted 5 of 10 on break points, while Bejlek was just 1 of 6.

Belgium’s Greet Minnen recorded another upset by topping seventh-seeded Janice Tjen of Indonesia 7-6 (4), 6-1. Eighth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic avoided the upset, handling Mexico’s Renata Zarzua 6-1, 6-2.

Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez beat American Katie Volynets 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse defeated Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-4, 7-6 (5). A few matches were suspended on Tuesday, including fourth-seeded Emma Navarro and fellow American Caty McNally, who was leading 4-6, 6-0, 2-1.

–Field Level Media