The Sparks did not have Lisa Leslie or Temeka Johnson, but that did not stop them from dismantling the Sky 81-64.

Chamique Holdsclaw ran the point and led her team in scoring and Taj McWilliams-Franklin did a little bit of everything to help their team to the win. Holdsclaw said. "(Leslie is) definitely missed out there but I'm just glad we were able to acquire Taj in the offseason."

Dominique Canty did everything she could do for the Sky, scoring 18 but it was not enough.

"Are there some things we need to fix? Yeah," Sky coach Bo Overton said, "And real quick."

Stacey Dales knows how important winning is for the young franchise, but is realistic. ''We're not going to hit our stride in the first week of the season,'' Dales said. ''It's so important to come out strong for those people who see the team for the first time. We can't control people who come in and out of here.''

Sky owner Michael Alter confirmed the team will not have Deanna Jackson this season, after terminating her contract over her fight in Israel.