WNBA makes Boston debut as Sun down Sparks 69-61

For Boston basketball fans, it seemed to take forever for the WNBA to make its Beantown debut, but the results were definitely worth the wait. The Connecticut Sun bested the LA Sparks by a 69-61 count as they made their TD Garden debut, but the game itself was only part of the story.

Connecticut's debut was a genuine sports event. The game sold out, with a crowd size that set a franchise record at 19,125 fans. They made a lot of noise, too, according to multiple reports, and DeJonai Carrington led the Sun with 19 points. There's a lot more to cover than just the game, though, so let's get to it.

Photo byAlex PerezonUnsplash

The game highlights

The Sparks may have come in with a 6-22 record, but they gave the Sun all they could handle. They actually led by a 59-55 count early in the fourth quarter, forcing Connecticut to come back to earn the victory. They posted four turnovers in the next two minutes, which definitely hurt their cause. LA was led by Azura Stevens and Rickea Jackson, both of whom had 14 points.

Their meltdown helped lead to the ejection of Sparks coach Curt Miller, who argued a no-call late in the fourth quarter and was forced to watch the rest of the game from the LA locker room.

A very vocal Suns crowd proceeded to serenade Miller on the way out, and the action was punctuated by chants of "Beat LA" all night long, echoing what typically happens when the Lakers stop by to battle the Celtics.

Dejonai Carrington weighs in on the non-broadcast

In addition to leading her team to victory, Carrington chose to weigh in on the fact that the game wasn't broadcast despite the historic nature of the Sun's first appearance in Boston. The game that was televised was the Liberty-Wings contest, and she definitely took issue with that choice.

"I'm going to keep it real all the time--I feel like Connecticut as a franchise is historically disrespected," she said after the game when she was asked to speak about her earlier social media post in which she criticized the league for its choice. "I think there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top. There was ample time to do what needed to be done."

In addition to setting a Connecticut record for crowd size, the game posted the third-highest attendance of any WNBA game this year.

"The game should've been on a national television broadcast," Carrington added. "You shouldn't have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that's historic, in my opinion. The odds couldn't have been more against us to sell this place out, but I think it's amazing."

The victory boosted Connecticut's record to 20-7, and it helped keep Connecticut in second place behind the ever-white-hot Liberty, who have lost just 4 games this season. But there's more to report on with the atmosphere and the vibe in TD Garden.

The Celtics Help Welcome the Sun to Boston

The game also featured appearances from some famous local fans. Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday showed up to support the Sun and Olympic star Alyssa Thomas, and their appearance became a photo op for players like Carrington.

More local color came with the appearance of Sun guard Veronica Burton, whose father, Steve, happens to be a local sports anchor for WBZ-TV. Finally seeing her dad at a Boston game led Veronica to tear up during a video that was presented during a break in the action.

There's also a prominent coaching connection between the Sun and the Celtics. Connecticut coach Stephanie White is friends with current Boston GM and former Celts coach Brad Stephens, so the game meant a lot to her.

"To have an atmosphere like this and play in front of a crowd like this, it speaks to our continued growth as a league," White explained. "I'm really thankful that our players and our team--they deserved this--got an opportunity to experience it."

She left out the word "finally," but it really didn't need to be said. With Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese conducting a spirited rookie rivalry and US women's team taking home yet another Olympic gold medal, the WNBA is on a serious roll as the league rolled into Boston and took the town by storm.

Article originally written by Bob McCullough