In one of the best performances in franchise history, Kelsey Plum poured in 43 points, tying the single-game franchise record, carrying the Sparks to an overtime win over the Mercury, 111-102.
Plum scored 32 of her 43 points in the second half and hit countless huge shots down the stretch in the fourth, including multiple 3-pointers. Her and Kahleah Copper went toe to toe in the final minutes of regulation before the Sparks raced away in the extra period for the win.
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As a team, the Sparks shot 48.1% from the field and 44.1% from three. LA turned 15 Phoenix turnovers into 15 points and got 33 points off the bench.
Nneka Ogwumike opened the game with a turnaround jumper, but Phoenix scored the next 10 points, capped off with a Kahleah Copper jumper to force an LA timeout.
Kelsey Plum, Erica Wheeler and Ogwumike splashed home threes out of the break to bring the Sparks back within a point. The two teams traded baskets for most of the rest of the half, ranging from alternating jumpers to trading threes and even and-ones.
After Dearica Hamby and Plum each finished through contact, Copper did the same on the other end to make give Phoenix a 23-18 lead.
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In the final 90 seconds of the period, Hamby converted on a pair of layups before Rae Burrell knocked down a three to tie the game at 27-27 heading into the second. It was an offensive explosion for the two sides with the Mercury shooting 70.6% from the field and the Sparks shooting 50%, including going 5-8 from three.
Burrell continued her strong play off the bench in the second by scoring the first seven points for the Sparks, putting them up 34-33. After DeWanna Bonner helped Phoenix move back ahead by five, Burrell drove down the lane for another basket.
The eleventh point of the quarter from Burrell put LA up 40-39. Phoenix responded with eight of the next 11 points to take the lead again, the only basket for the Sparks coming on a Cam Brink three.
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Free throws from Plum and Burrell kept LA attached to the Mercury at the end of the half with the hosts heading into the locker room up 54-51. Burrell finished the period with 13 points.
Phoenix was still shooting 61.8% from the field while the Sparks were shooting 51.4%. The two sides combined to hit 16 threes in the half.
Plum was the one who started hot in the third, scoring the first eight points before setting up Ariel Atkins for an and-one to push LA ahead 62-58. Copper and Plum traded threes but Phoenix pieced together a run to take a 66-65 advantage.
The first points of the period, not a direct result of Plum, came from Ogwumike, who knocked down back-to-back threes, giving LA a 71-66 lead and forcing a Phoenix timeout.
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Free throws from Burrell and Plum extended the advantage to nine, a lead that held to the end of the period.
The Mercury promptly scored the first six points of the fourth to force an LA timeout. After another Mercury basket, Burrell finished at the rim to stop the run.
A sputtering Sparks offense got an injection from a Plum 3-pointer to put them up 86-82, but Copper responded with a layup on the other end and a Noemie Brochant basket tied the game with three minutes remaining.
A pair of Plum free throws and a stepback jumper were answered by baskets from Copper and Alyssa Thomas. Lexi Held then knocked down a three in transition to put Phoenix up with 93 seconds left.
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Out of a timeout, Plum knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game again. As was the case all night, Copper had a response with her own three, putting Phoenix up 96-93. Plum walked into a three of her own to tie the game again with 52.8 seconds left.
A messy Mercury possession led to an inbound that resulted in a basket from Natasha Mack with 12 seconds left. Yet again, the Sparks had an answer through Plum, who finished off a beautiful out-of-bounds play with a layup to tie the game with 1.6 seconds left.
Phoenix got a look at the winner on their own inbound, but Mack bobbled the pass at the basket and could not get off a clean look, leading to overtime.
Ogwumike kicked off the extra session with a jumper on the first possession. Plum got to the line and knocked down the pair the next time down the court, making it a four-point lead. Brink had one of the biggest shots of her career, knocking down a three with a foul. She completed the four-point play to put LA up 106-98 two minutes into overtime.
Phoenix got its first points on the next possession, but Wheeler hit her second shot of the game with a step-back 3-pointer. The wave of momentum continued as the Sparks won a challenge to overturn a foul and get possession of the ball.
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The Mercury would not make another field goal in the period, their only other two points coming from Copper at the free throw line. She finished with 41 points of her own in the loss.
Key Player Stats
Plum and Burrell carried the team offensively on the night. Plum finished with 43 points on 14-26 shooting, including 5-11 from three, with seven assists. Burrell had 24 points on 9-15 shooting, 13 of those coming in the second.
Ogwumike had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Hamby had eight points and six rebounds. Brink had nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.
The Sparks will next be in action on Monday against the Valkyries. Tip is set for 7 p.m. PT.
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