The post Sparks keep perfect streak alive after wild ending to Wings clash appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Los Angeles Sparks kept their playoff hopes alive in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, defeating the Dallas Wings 81-80 at Crypto.com Arena after Kelsey Plum banked in a floater at the buzzer.
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The Sparks improved their record to 17-18, staying one game behind the eighth and final playoff spot with nine regular-season games remaining, while the Wings dropped to 9-27 and exited playoff contention.
The matchup was defined by rookie sensation Paige Bueckers, who delivered a historic performance in the loss. The No. 1 overall pick scored a career-high 44 points, the most by any WNBA player this season and tied for the highest-scoring game by a rookie in league history with Cynthia Cooper’s 28-year-old record.
Her efficiency was staggering, as she went 17-for-21 from the field, 4-for-4 from three-point range, and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Bueckers also extended her streak of double-digit scoring games to 29, the third-longest ever by a rookie, trailing only A’ja Wilson’s record of 33. She became just the 14th player in league history to record multiple 30-plus point games in a rookie campaign.
Though Bueckers shouldered the Wings’ offense, the Sparks’ balance carried them through. Rickea Jackson paced Los Angeles with 25 points, hitting a career-high six three-pointers on 6-of-7 shooting from deep. The Sparks improved to 8-0 this season, when Jackson scores at least 20 points in a game.
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Plum added 20 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter and the game-winning shot. Dearica Hamby contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, while Cameron Brink had 11 points and eight boards, four on the offensive glass, in 19 minutes off the bench as she continues to play under a minutes restriction.
The game swung wildly across quarters. Dallas led 11-3 early behind eight straight points from Bueckers, but the Sparks closed the first on a 15-5 run ended by a Brink three-pointer. Los Angeles then surged ahead 39-24 in the second quarter before taking a 44-37 lead into halftime.
Bueckers led a Dallas comeback in the third, scoring 19 points in the period, including a 6-for-6 shooting stretch and two three-pointers that helped the Wings outscore the Sparks 29-15 to take a 66-59 advantage into the fourth.
Los Angeles responded with an 8-0 run to open the final quarter, setting up a tense finish. The teams traded the lead seven times in the last five minutes. With 1:03 left, the referees called a technical foul on Jackson after a scuffle with rookie center Luisa Geiselsoder, letting Bueckers sink her final point of the night at the line and give Dallas an 80-79 lead. After a missed three from Aziaha James with 20.5 seconds left, the Sparks gained possession, and Plum delivered the decisive floater as time expired.
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The Sparks have now won eight of their last 11 matchups against the Wings, including a 97-96 win last Friday when Plum and Bueckers each topped 28 points. The teams are scheduled to meet again in Los Angeles on September 7.
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