"We don't have any division," said Leslie, who suffered a right hip bruise and a minor right knee sprain against Phoenix on Friday, and will sit out tonight's game. "That's probably the good part, that we do really have good chemistry off the court and we're trying to get that on the court as fast as possible."
Toler, Cooper and players saw defensive lapses as the biggest factors negating the Sparks' chemistry. That's why most of last week's practices focused on defensive drills.
"It's OK when you're not shooting well because you can stop other teams," Thompson said. "Then it's a knockout, drag-out kind of game. But if they're scoring and we're not, then it becomes a problem."
And the current problem consists of a season starting on the wrong track.
Milton-Jones joked that the team's sluggishness reminds her of the Lakers' inconsistency this season, when they eventually won an NBA championship.
But with a 34-game schedule, the Sparks have less time to avert disaster.
"We've done a lot of talking, but there's no need for any more talking," Lennox said. "There's nothing else more to be said."
Except for one thing: Don't panic, even if the button's already been pushed.
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mark.medina@latimes.com
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Sparks tonight
VS. SACRAMENTO
6:30 at Staples Center
Prime Ticket, NBA TV
