LOS ANGELES — Kelsey Plum is a self-proclaimed competitor.
“I’m excited,” the Sparks guard said before rejoining the lineup for the first time in more than a week. “I think for me I really look forward to competition and no better competition than some of the (Dallas) guards over there on both ends of the floor so I’m super excited and I’m going to go out there and have fun tonight.”
Plum had 27 points and six assists and made an immediate impact in her first game back after missing the previous three with a sprained ankle injury, but the Sparks were outplayed in the fourth quarter in a 104-96 loss to the Dallas Wings on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“I’m trying to instill confidence and build that chemistry,” Plum said. “It takes time.”
The Sparks (4-6) could not get enough defensive stops in the fourth and were outscored 27-18 on the way to their third straight loss.
“It’s a game of runs,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “They made the last run.”
Plum was one of five Sparks to score in double figures. Ariel Atkins scored 16 points, Dearica Hamby had 15, Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Cameron Brink added 10 points off the bench.
“I thought we played better,” Roberts explained. “The ball was moving, balanced scoring, five players in double figures. That’s how we want to play. Dallas is a good team. I think in the last four minutes they kind of willed it to happen for them and we didn’t.”
“We’re going to keep building,” Hamby added. “We have another game (Sunday) and the next four or five games are definitely winnable.”
Los Angeles Sparks postgame media conference with Ariel Atkins, Lynne Roberts and Dearica Hamby after the team’s 104-96 loss to the Dallas Wings. pic.twitter.com/TUXcS1cDKQ
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 6, 2026
Arike Ogunbowale scored a game-high 30 points, shooting 6 for 11 from 3-point range, to pace Dallas (7-3), which won its fourth consecutive game. Jessica Shepard had a double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Paige Bueckers had a double-double (18 points, 14 assists), Maddy Siegrist added 16 points and rookie Azzi Fudd scored 11.
Sparks guard Erica Wheeler made a pair of free throws to get her team within 97-95 with 2:13 to go. Ogunbowale’s putback made it 99-95 with 1:47 remaining, then Plum made one of two free throws to cut it 99-96 with 1:06 remaining. Siegrist’s putback gave Dallas a 101-96 lead with less than a minute to go, then the Sparks’ inbound pass was stolen and the Wings secured the win.
A three-point play from Plum gave the Sparks an 84-83 lead with 7:43 left in the fourth quarter, but Dallas responded with a 9-2 run, capped by Siegrist’s running jump shot with 5:52 left.
“It’s a team thing,” Atkins said. “Dearica said it, making sure that we have low man, making sure that we’re not overhelping, just paying attention to the details of the game and sticking to the scout.”
The Sparks, who led 55-54 at halftime, seemingly could not miss in the first half, shooting 64.7% from the field (22 for 34). Neither could the Wings, who shot 61.1% (22 for 36).
An Ogunbowale 3-pointer put the Wings up 72-68 with 3:24 left in the third quarter, but an Ogwumike putback gave the Sparks a 77-75 lead late in the period and they held a 78-77 advantage heading into the fourth.
Coach Roberts wanted her team to play with pace and space, but did not want her players lured into playing one-on-one against Dallas’ elite scorers.
“It can be a trap,” Roberts said before the game. “If my man goes down and scores on me, then I’m going to try and go down and score on her. You have to avoid doing that. It’s not a one-on-one battle. The team is either going to win or we’re going to lose, same for Dallas. So it’s that commitment to execution and locking in on what we’re trying to do as a group versus what you’re trying to do against whoever just shot one in your eye down at the other end. That can be hard because these guys are elite competitors. They all know each other so well and all the things so it’s a good question and it’s a variable.”
The Sparks led 28-24 at the end of the first quarter after shooting 12 for 18 from the field.
Dallas guard Odyssey Sims, a former Spark, suffered an excruciating left ankle injury early in the second quarter and did not return.
After a back-and-forth first half, Bueckers nearly drained a buzzer-beater but released the ball 0.1 seconds too late. The Sparks led 55-54 at halftime. Plum had 13 points. The Sparks’ bench scored 12 points in the first half, led by five points apiece from Brink and Kate Martin.
“The best teams all have stars, but the ones that go far have a great bench,” Roberts said before the game.
First-year Dallas coach Jose Fernandez preached execution before the game.
“Making sure that great shots are taken,” Fernandez said, “because bad ones lead to bad transition defense and making sure we’re taking the right ones from the right people taking them as well.”
UP NEXT
The Sparks host Portland (6-6) on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum’s pregame interview before returning from from a sprained ankle injury. Plum says she’s feeling good and is looking forward to competing against Dallas Wings and guards like Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale. #WNBA #LASparks pic.twitter.com/r9cNo9OJH3
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 6, 2026
Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts pregame media availability before the Dallas Wings vs. Los Angeles Sparks game on Friday, June 5, 2026.
Roberts talked about her team’s offensive and defensive approach, guard Jess Shepard and not falling into the trap of one-on-one… pic.twitter.com/hXlwSrYtfI
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 6, 2026