On a night that pitted the current WNBA season’s top two leading scorers against each other, Kelsey Plum made a statement against her former team.
The Los Angeles Sparks guard notched a series of season and league best numbers as she led her team to a 101-95 upset of the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, May 23, at Michelob Ultra Arena.
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Plum’s scoring matched her career high and marked the first game of her career with at least 35 points, five assists and five 3-pointers.
Plum had 38 points and nine assists. She went 6-for-7 on 3-point attempts, made all eight of her free throws and secured the game-clinching steal.
She did it all while spoiling the Aces’ celebratory night, which saw them raise their 2025 WNBA championship banner.
Having spent seven seasons with the Aces organization, Plum quietly requested a trade after the team fell short of a three-peat in the 2024 campaign. The Aces gave Plum the core designation (like an NFL franchise tag) and granted her request by trading her to Los Angeles in a three-team deal that brought guard Jewell Loyd from the Seattle Storm to Las Vegas.
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Although the Aces were able to win again without Plum, it’s safe to say that she’s dedicated to building a winning culture in her new destination.
Plum leads the league in points per game (26.8) three-pointers made per game (3.3) while also ranking in the top five in assists per game (6.3).
Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum gestures toward the sidelines after defeating the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena.
She has the most games with at least 25 points this season with five. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the league’s only other player this season to reach five games with at least 20 points.
Plum got off to a hot start on Saturday, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the 3-point line in the first quarter.
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Dearica Hamby and Cameron Brink each scored 16 for the Sparks (3-3), who have won three of their last four games after starting the season with back-to-back losses.
Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson scored 24 points on Saturday and is the second-leading scorer in the league with 25 points per game.
She had an emphatic block against her former teammate late, but it wasn’t enough.
The game marked the end of a four-game winning streak for Las Vegas, which was blown out by the Phoenix Mercury after the Aces received their championship rings ahead of the season opener.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelsey Plum continues scoring tear against former team
