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Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) drives past Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center.When the dust was settled and the overtime period at an end, it was the Los Angeles Sparks who stood tall with a 111-102 win against the Phoenix Mercury. The win was the Sparks’ third straight, and second on the road, and it was largely due to star guard Kelsey Plum who dropped in a career-high 43 points.
However, the nine-year veteran was quick to give the credit to her Sparks teammates and head coach Lynne Roberts for helping pave the way for her explosive offensive game. What was more important as well was the fact that the team got the win.
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“Tonight was awesome because we won, and I think for me that’s really my focus in the league … Trying to impact winning. The scoring is great but I think for me, I’m proud of the fact that we got a win,” Plum said during her postgame press conference. “I thought my teammates made great plays down the stretch and then put me in a position to make plays.
“I appreciate Coach for giving me the freedom to really go out there and just play. There’s not a ton of sets called. It’s just me trying to play the game the right way. If they bring two to the ball, get off of it, play fast and be free out there.”
Kelsey Plum shot 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) from the field, 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from the 3-point line and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line (83.3 percent) en route to her new career-high. But it wasn’t just scoring where Plum was able to impact the game. She also grabbed a couple of rebounds and dished out seven assists.
And she was right in the sense that her teammates made big plays to help seal the win. Plum only scored two points in the overtime period, off of free-throws. Cameron Brink finished a four-point play after being fouled while hitting a corner 3-point shot. She also had a pair of huge free-throws down the stretch after key offensive rebounds.
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Plum’s backcourt mate Erica Wheeler hit a big 3-point shot off a pass from Ariel Atkins that extended the Sparks’ lead to 109-100 with a little over two minutes to go. And it was Nneka Ogwumike who set the tone for overtime early, getting the first bucket of the extra period off a pull-up midrange jumper.
But it was the four-time All-Star who sent the game to overtime in the first place, scoring the team’s last 17 points of the fourth quarter.
With the Sparks trailing by three, 93-90, Plum was inexplicably left open by the Mercury. She took a pass from Atkins and calmly buried a 3-pointer to tie the game. A couple of possessions later, with the team once again down by three, 96-93, Plum tied it up with a step-back 3-point shot.
And then with 1.6 seconds left, Plum tied the game on a layup at 98 off a pass from Ogwumike to send the game to overtime.
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Following the game, Roberts, who has called Plum the best one-on-one player in the WNBA multiple times this season, echoed her star guard’s sentiments in that she’s also incredibly unselfish amid her individual exploits.
“She just has a way. She doesn’t get talked about enough in terms of what she’s doing this season and also her efficiency,” Roberts said during her postgame press conference. “But seven assists, I think that’s what separates [Kelsey Plum]. It’s an unselfish 43. She’ll credit her teammates, but the work she puts in and her will to win are the best in the league.”
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