Kelsey Plum literally took a bow when the buzzer sounded, and she’d earned it.
Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks defeated the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, 101-95, on Saturday night. Plum led the way with a game-high 38 points on 12 of 17 shooting from the floor (6 of 7 from 3) and nine assists.
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According to espnW, Plum joined Indiana Fever All-Star Caitlin Clark as the only two players in the WNBA this season with five 20-point games.
The Sparks faced the Fever in their second game of the young 2026 WNBA season on May 13. Clark scored 24 points and dished nine assists, while Plum scored 25 points. The Fever won 87-78.
On the floor after the Sparks’ win Saturday night, Plum told CBS Sports’ Tiffany Blackmon that she was “proud of the resilience” the Sparks showed.
“I think my teammates just set me up, getting me to open spots, and I was just trying to read the defense,” Plum said. “They were in drop coverage, so just trying to take what they give me, and hey, it was a good day to have a good day.”
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Entering Saturday’s action, Plum was the WNBA’s second-leading scorer (24.6 points per game) behind Aces center A’ja Wilson (25 points per game), the reigning WNBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
Plum began her All-Star and All-WNBA career with the Aces, playing there from 2017 to 2014 and winning two WNBA championships. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick requested a trade after the 2024 season, and a three-team blockbuster landed her in L.A. in January 2025.
“I just remember thinking in that offseason, ‘If you really are about it, and you really believe that you are as good as you think you are, and you really think you can impact winning at the highest level, there’s only one way to find out,’” Plum told Sue Bird last summer.
So far this season, Plum is playing like a woman possessed to lead the Sparks to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
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