Kelsey Plum burns former team for 38 points as Sparks outlast Aces

Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum had to watch her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, unveil the first championship banner the franchise has earned without her before Sunday's matchup at her old Michelob Ultra Arena home.

In true Plum fashion, she responded by torching the Aces for 38 points while leading the Sparks to an 101-95 win over the defending champions.

Plum made 12-of-17 attempts from the field overall and 6-of-7 from 3-point range, in addition to dishing out nine assists and corralling four rebounds. Plum was just two points shy of her career-high 40, which she put up for the Aces against the Minnesota Lynx in July 2023.

Cameron Brink was a major contributor for Los Angeles, scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds despite fouling out early in the fourth quarter. Brink's performance came despite the fact that she suffered a nose injury in the first quarter that kept her out for a portion of the first half and was clearly affecting her throughout.

A'ja Wilson paced the Aces with a typical MVP-like stat-line, scoring 24 points and collecting 15 rebounds in the loss. Na'Lyssa Smith also had an efficient night for Las Vegas, scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in addition to grabbing nine rebounds.

Erica Wheeler put the Sparks ahead for good at 97-94 by burying a step-back 3-pointer over Chennedy Carter with 1:15 remaining. The Aces quickly resorted to fouling, prompting Plum and Dearica Hamby to successfully secure the win from the free throw line.

Trailing 73-72 at the end of the third quarter, the Sparks began the fourth on a quick 8-0 run that put them ahead 80-72 with 9:02 remaining. After Becky Hammon effectively stopped the Sparks momentum with a well-placed timeout, the Aces responded with a 9-2 run of their own to get to within 82-81 with 5:22 remaining.

After Chelsea Gray tied the game for Las Vegas at 90 with a turnaround jumper, Plum put the Sparks back ahead 94-90 with a pair of lay-ins on back-to-back possessions. A'ja Wilson and Carter countered with field goals and brought the Aces back to even at 94-all with 1:36 remaining.

That was the 13th and final tie of the game, which also featured 19 lead changes.

The Aces pulled out to a 52-46 lead at halftime following a high-energy, back and forth first half. Carter led all scorers with 16 points in the half, doing so on 6-of-10 shooting before the break.

Plum led the Sparks with 14 points, all coming in the first quarter, on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half. Plum made her first five attempts from the field, helping the Sparks get out to a 32-30 lead after the first quarter.

--Field Level Media