“If you give the best team in the league easy run-out layups, it’s tough,” Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said. “We dug ourselves a hole, and they do a good job of protecting the paint. We just have to handle it better.”

On the week the WNBA’s All-Star teams were announced, Collier led her league-leading Lynx (18-3) into Crypto.com Arena as the league’s most potent scorer at 23.9 per game. She’ll be joined by teammate Courtney Williams in the All-Star festivities July 19 in Indiana.

However, it wasn’t either of the front-runners who initially powered Minnesota in the first half. Guard Natisha Hiedeman poured in 16 first-half points to spearhead the Lynx.

The Sparks regularly double- and triple-teamed Collier in the paint, leaving open opportunities for others on kick-outs. Heideman proved the greatest benefactor, hitting two first-quarter 3-pointers and finishing with 18 points.

“You’re not going to hold (Collier) to zero,” Roberts said before the game. “With a player like that, you have to do the best job you can with adjustments so that she doesn’t just get into rhythm and stay in rhythm. If you let her get comfortable, then you’re in trouble.”

Collier did find more comfort by the second half, as the piercing screams began to subside.

But not a wealth of it.

After scoring just eight in the first half, the MVP front-runner eventually finished with 17 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, but shot only 42% from the field and missed all six 3-point attempts.

The Sparks’ lone All-Star, Plum, showed her star pedigree, scoring 17 with three 3-pointers. It wasn’t enough to send the young fans home happy.

The Sparks’ newest addition, 32-year-old guard Julie Vanloo, brought a flicker of hope from beyond the arc. All 15 of her points came on 3-pointers on 5-of-7 shooting.

Waived by the Golden State Valkyries and signed by the Sparks a day later, Vanloo arrived with one clear mission: Shoot. And in her Crypto debut, she did exactly that.

“It’s been a rough week for me,” Vanloo said. “I’m trying to settle in a little bit. I’m just ready to shoot it and help the team where I can. I can get hot really quickly. That’s what I’m going for, and I’m happy I could do that today.”

Even as the score swayed to the visitors, she and Plum and the rest of the Sparks had constant innocent shrieks at their backs. A reported 18,199 in attendance, with the largest contingent younger than 15, created a noisy environment for the West Coast matchup.

“It’s a great environment (with all) the kids,” Plum said. “I remember coming to these games when I was a kid, and it just made a big impact on me. It’s super important. It was fun.”

With the loss, the Sparks moved to 3-7 in their last 10 and remain near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.