Less than a week after opening training camp, the Sparks lost their preseason opener on the road Saturday to the Seattle Storm, 81-68.

Rookie Olivia Nelson-Ododa led L.A. with 15 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocked shots and a steal in her 35 minutes. The 19th overall pick in the April 11 WNBA Draft, she shot 6 for 12 from the field.

In her Sparks debut, Chennedy Carter scored 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench. Brittney Sykes added 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Veteran Nneka Ogwumike played only six minutes and scored one point and had four rebounds in the exhibition.

A highlight for the Sparks: Jasmine Walker’s participation. She played for the first time since she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament on May 21, during the Sparks’ second game of the 2021 season. Walker – the seventh overall pick in last year’s draft – logged 14 minutes Saturday and shot 1 for 5 from the field and grabbed four rebounds.

“Really happy for Jasmine Walker, coming back from an ACL injury last year, basically two games into the season. She’s worked her butt off to get to this point,” Sparks coach Derek Fisher said by Zoom from Climate Pledge Arena. “So just her being out there, regardless of how she played, is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, she’ll feel OK as she recovers from tonight and be able to just continue to get better.”

As a team, the Sparks shot 24 for 78 (30.8%) and 5 for 26 (19.2%) from 3-point range.

For Seattle, Breanna Stewart led the way with 20 points and Jewell Loyd added 18 as the Storm shot 30 for 67 (44.8%) overall and 11 for 31 (35.5%) from 3-point range.

L.A. fielded a limited lineup, playing without Liz Cambage, Chiney Ogwumike, Lauren Cox, Katie Lou Samuelson, Amanda Zahui B., Kristi Toliver and Rae Burrell, the No. 9 overall pick in the recent draft.

The Sparks will play their second preseason game next Saturday at 2 p.m., when they face the Phoenix Mercury at Cal State Northridge (CSUN).

Chennedy Carter drives for an easy 2 and 1! pic.twitter.com/iFaT5do7WQ

— Rebekah (@_jcupcake) April 24, 2022

Have yourself a game, Rook. @OliviaKNelson with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in her Sparks debut. pic.twitter.com/Pk7kZ4RLRS

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) April 24, 2022