LOS ANGELES — The Sparks emerged from their 10-game gauntlet to start the season weathered, battle-tested and up for the challenge.

Tuesday night’s test came courtesy of the Dallas Wings, a spry, young squad that erased all of the Sparks’ 16-point lead in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead by three points midway through the period.

But with Brittney Sykes running a clinic at point guard and a three-big lineup of of Liz Cambage, Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike accompanying her late in the game, the Sparks fended off the Wings for a 93-91 victory.

Sykes scored 25 points – her high as a member of the Sparks – on 8-for-11 shooting. She added six assists and a couple of steals.

Cambage added 19 points, Nneka Ogwumike 16 and Katie Lou Samuelson 13 for the Sparks (5-6) who shot 64.3% (36 for 56) from the field, but who were outdone on the offensive boards 12-2 and outscored in second-chance points 18-4.

The Sparks – who share Crytpo.com Arena with the Lakers, Clippers and Kings, whose playoff prospects aren’t known when the WNBA schedule-builders do their planning – played just two home games in their first 10 games of their 36-game schedule. And those were singular, one-date pitstops sandwiched between multi-stop road trips.

Those two dates in L.A. represented the fewest home games in the league through the first 10 games, which came especially fast and furiously for Coach Derek Fisher’s overhauled squad: The Sparks got to 10 games faster than any other WNBA team besides Indiana – which played six home games in that span.

By assistant coach Latricia Trammell’s count, the Sparks were on the road for 23 days in May, traversing more than 12,000 miles.

The new-look, road-weary Sparks – with only three returning players suiting up in purple and gold this summer – had scant few practice opportunities early. Starters Samuelson and Lexie Brown have yet to practice together, because the Sparks haven’t had a full rehearsal since Samuleson’s arrival on May 16.

So, yes, it’s been a challenge for the Sparks, who were 4-6 entering Tuesday’s game against a Dallas Wings team that not only swept their three meetings with L.A. last season but delivered the regular-season loss that kept them out of the playoffs.

A mettle-testing, character-building challenge.

“Going through the adversity of the start of the season and having to ask the hard questions right from the start, to me, that will help us over time,” Fisher said before tipoff on Tuesday, when he noted that four of the Sparks’ losses came by a just 13 points combined. “Even though on paper today we’re not in first place – who remembers who is in first place a month into any season in any sport?

“There are benefits, in particular with a new group going through some things together, so that you start to learn who handles what well, which teammates need a little bit of extra support with adversity, difficult shooting stretches … that’ll be positive for us as we go forward.”

It showed on Tuesday, when Isabelle Harrison’s jumper gave Dallas (5-4) an 81-78 lead with 5:34 left.

But Nneka Ogwumike muscled inside for a layup that cut the lead to 81-80.

After Chiney Ogwumike and Satou Sabally got tangled – and Chiney got fired up, seeming to tell the Dallas forward: “Watch your mouth!” – Sabally knocked down two free throws to make it 83-80.

Sykes ran another pick-and-roll perfectly, receiving a pass from Cambage and flying in freely for a layup. Then Nneka Ogwumike ripped down her own miss and scored, Sykes leaped to break up a pass, giving the Sparks the ball back. Sabally fouled Nneka Ogwumike, who sank both free throws to give L.A. the 86-83 lead with 3:30 left.

Sykes glided in for yet another layup to increase the lead to 88-83 with three minutes to go.

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After a timeout, Mabrey scored again before Sykes drove back into the heart of Dallas’ defense and then dumped off a pass for Cambage, who scored and drew a foul – and made the free throw to push the lead to 91-85 with 36 seconds left.

Sabally wasn’t going away, canning a 3-pointer to trim the lead back to 91-88 with 20 ticks on the clock.

Sykes made two free throws but Harrison countered with a 3-pointer that made it 93-91 – and then Sykes was called for an offensive foul on the Wings’ inbound play. Arike Ogunbowale drove and drew a foul on Cambage with 0.8 to play – but Dallas’ star guard missed the first foul shot and then the Wings were called for a lane violation and then a delay of game violation.

Samuelson missed the free throw and although the Sparks turned it over on the inbounds play, Harrison couldn’t get off a shot before the final horn.

More to come on this story.