The Sparks have officially wrapped up their preseason campaign, and they're heading into the regular season with a perfect 2-0 record after an 85-75 victory over the Portland Fire at the Moda Center.

It was a historic trip for Los Angeles—marking the first time the team has played a WNBA game in Portland since 2002. The crowd was electric, fully embracing the return of the Fire franchise, but the Sparks showed composure on the road to close out the win.

"We're witnessing the growth," said veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike, reflecting on the atmosphere. "For this to be a preseason game and have this many fans in there, the energy was there. I'm just happy to be playing in the league. Very grateful and blessed as this expansion comes to fruition. We're not just expanding and no one is coming. More and more people want games, more and more people want teams in their city. I'm grateful to be a part of that."

Despite the exhibition setting, the Sparks treated Sunday's contest as a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their rotations. With the full roster available for the first time this preseason, head coach Lynne Roberts experimented with a new starting lineup—and she liked what she saw.

"I thought it was good," Roberts said. "That was the first time they had all played together. Rae (Burrell) and Nneka didn't play in the last preseason game, so it was about building chemistry. But man, there's some firepower offensively, and I think you saw some improvements defensively with that group."

One area that will need tightening before the games count: turnovers. The Sparks committed 20 in each of their two preseason outings. It's a number that should come down as the team builds chemistry and the rotation becomes more defined.

"The knife cuts both ways," Roberts explained. "I want them to play with pace and freedom. We have structure in how we play and there are rules, but there's also player freedom. In earlier games, you're going to see more of that. You can't tell them to play with pace and freedom and then scream and yell when they turn it over. That's counterintuitive. A lot of it is just getting the chemistry. I think we're deeper this year, and we have a roster that is naturally going to take care of the ball."

With the preseason in the rearview mirror, the Sparks now turn their attention to the regular season—armed with a deeper roster, a 2-0 tune-up, and plenty of momentum to build on.