Nothing has slowed down Los Angeles Sparks so far

The Sparks have played just two of their seven games at home thus far in the 2016 season. And even being at home Tuesday night against New York (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET) feels a little "road-like," according to Los Angeles forward Nneka Ogwumike, because the team has spent such little time at Staples Center.

The Sparks won't play consecutive home games until June 14-21, when they'll have three in a row at Staples. But all the travel not only hasn't hurt the Sparks, it might be one of the things that's helped them to a 7-0 start.

"I definitely think that contributes a lot to the chemistry we're seeing on the team," Ogwumike said. "We're a very close-knit team; we hang out all the time. But it's translating out on the court. The chemistry has been cohesive from the start, and I think it's very exciting.

"One thing we don't ever want to stop is to have fun out there. I think a lot of people have noticed this year that we're not only playing hard -- and it shows in the results -- but we're having fun."

If you look at what the Sparks are doing well, it's pretty much ... everything. They are third in the league in field goal percentage (47.0) behind also unbeaten Minnesota (48.2) and 4-4 Chicago (47.9). However, the Sparks lead the WNBA in effective field goal percentage (which takes into account the greater value of 3-pointers) at 52.3 percent.

At 105.2, the Sparks are second to the Sky (106.7) in offensive rating, and Los Angeles' 85.8 defensive rating is the league's best.

Candace Parker (18.4 PPG), Ogwumike (15.3) and Kristi Toliver (12.9) lead the way in scoring. Alana Beard is averaging 9.1 points, and her 2.6 steals per game is tied for second-best in the league.

It's especially impressive considering that Beard, who turned 34 last month, has dealt with injuries that cost her two full WNBA seasons (2010, '11) and part of last year. At one point a few years back, she was wondering if her career would continue. Now she's an essential player on an unbeaten team.

Also add in that L.A.'s fifth starter, Essence Carson, has fit in so well after coming over as a free agent from New York.

"She's making us tougher," Sparks general manger Penny Toler said of Carson, who is in her ninth season in the WNBA. "She comes in and gives us another [defender] who we can put on a really good player. And as far as leadership ... her experience is invaluable. She's been a tremendous help for our team."

The Liberty have had a rockier go of it thus far than the Sparks, but they have won their past two games. They clobbered Indiana at home 91-59 on Friday, and then won at Seattle 86-78 on Sunday.

Veteran forward Swin Cash, who announced via The Players' Tribune on Tuesday that she would retire at the end of this season, wasn't with the Liberty when they fell 79-72 in overtime to the Sparks at Madison Square Garden on May 21. She was waived by New York on May 11 in a procedural salary-cap move and then re-signed on May 24. But she was watching that game on television and knows how big of a challenge the Sparks present.

"I definitely give credit to Brian Agler," said Cash of the coach in his second season with the Sparks. "I played for him and won a championship (Seattle, 2010). I saw that [May 21 game], and they had that veteran leadership down the stretch.

"Playing against them in the past, there's been times when you're like, 'OK, L.A.'s going to let you back in the game.' Whereas now you see a certain level of confidence regarding their guard play and on the inside. They are executing more and being able to close out games."

In that first meeting between the Sparks and Liberty, Ogwumike had 25 points and 15 rebounds. Even though it was so early in the season, she wanted to set a tone with the way she played.

The Sparks had pounded the Mystics 97-67 the night before in Washington, and Ogwumike sought to make sure there was no letdown despite the quick turnaround time.

"Physically, I really wanted to do what I had to do for my team because that was our first back-to-back for the season," Ogwumike said. "I took it upon myself to lead by example to show that, 'Hey, we're professionals. You can't relax because we had to travel that day.'

"I think it was good for us to go out there and show we're tough. It doesn't matter what circumstances we're in to be able to come out and play hard."