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Nneka Ogwumike drops astronomical Cameron Brink comparison after huge win vs. Lynx appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Sparks ended their three-game road trip on a high note with a huge 89-82 win against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx to keep their hopes alive in the playoff picture for now. Helping lead the way was Cameron Brink who came up with the biggest defensive play of the game when she snuffed Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s shot with a little over one minute left and the Sparks clinging to a three-point lead.
Following the game, Nneka Ogwumike, who closed out the fourth quarter alongside Cameron Brink, compared her frontcourt teammate to the famed astronomy symbol that serves as a guide to help lost travelers find their way.
“It’s huge. Cam is really kind of our North Star. Her and A [Ariel Atkins] are kind of our North Star when it comes to our defense. A does her job to take care of things on the perimeter and Cam is almost like the finisher inside,” Ogwumike said during her postgame press conference. “So being able to have her inside, being physical, making plays, bouncing back from tough plays, I think it really was the difference-maker for our defense, especially down the stretch.”
Brink finished with a game-high three blocked shots, one of which was the aforementioned play on Collier, and another was stonewalling Lynx rookie sensation Olivia Miles’ layup attempt with a little over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
But it was a strong effort from the third-year center on both ends of the court. She added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, and knocked down one of her two 3-point attempts. She pulled down eight rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists.
Brink comes off the bench behind Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, but she got to finish the game alongside Ogwumike, a pairing that the Sparks’ veteran thought was very effective.
“I just try my best to make sure that she feels comfortable and aware of herself and what she can do on the offensive end,” Ogwumike continued. “And I think that we compliment each other well in space, well on both ends of the floor, but definitely on offense as we get more minutes.”
Coming into Thursday’s game, Brink had appeared in 21 games at a little over 17 minutes per game. She’s been averaging a career-best 9.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.6 blocked shots with spits of 48.1 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 80.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The former No. 2 overall pick has rebounded from an ankle injury she sustained back in mid-June that kept her sidelined for about a month. And playing on the second end of a back-to-back, following a tough loss to the Sky the night before, Brink wasn’t quite that confident coming into the game.
“I was really nervous about today to be honest. Our last back-to-back, we had a really early one and I havent’ played very many games in the W so back-to-backs are daunting. But I think, like Nneka said, I’ve honestly been leaning on her a lot,” Brink said during her postgame press conference. “I’m very thankful for her presence. We had a really good team meeting today. I think we were just really candid with each other, and I think we’re just getting closer as a team. So I’ve honestly just been leaning on everybody and it’s been great.”
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