Fisher cites 'energy' after Parker logs 11 minutes in Sparks' season-ending loss

Los Angeles Sparks head coach Derek Fisher had his reasons for playing two-time MVP Candace Parker just 11 minutes in the team's season-ending loss to the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

Namely, he was "trying to find energy, a spark, find physicality," he said after Game 3 of the WNBA semifinal, according to the Los Angeles Times' Brady Klopfer.

"We've had an issue sustaining energy over 40 minutes against this team in this series," the first-year Sparks coach continued. "Also just trying to get fresh bodies in so we can continue to bang and rebound and run the floor and communicate defensively. So it wasn't in any way to single (Parker) out. Riquna (Williams) played 17 minutes. (Tierra Ruffin-Pratt) played 12 minutes.

"I know it's Candace Parker and we're going to try to make it about her 11 minutes, but it was just about trying to do something different that I thought would try and help us win."

Parker tallied four points on 2-of-6 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, two turnovers, and a foul in her brief appearance. The 33-year-old didn't see any action over the final 15:54 of the game.

For her part, Parker dismissed the notion there was any sort of injury-related reason for her sparse playing time.

"I'm physically, mentally - everything's fine," Parker said postgame, according to The Winsidr's John W. Davis. "There's nothing wrong with me."

The 2019 season was a tough one for the Sparks icon. Lower-body injuries delayed her season debut until mid-June and both her scoring average (11.2 points per game) and playing time (26 minutes per game) fell to career lows. Parker entered Sunday's contest five days removed from a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double in Game 1 of the series, however, suggesting the future Hall of Famer still has plenty left in the tank.