The Dallas Wings celebrated a narrow victory against Indiana earlier this week, but any momentum they carried into Los Angeles quickly unraveled.
For the second time in a matter of days, the Los Angeles Sparks turned the tables with one-point heartbreakers, reminding Dallas that in the WNBA, a single possession can decide everything.
On Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, Kelsey Plum delivered the dagger, floating home an 11-foot shot at the buzzer to give the Sparks an 81-80 win. It came just days after she outdueled Paige Bueckers in another one-point contest, and this time her composure at the finish left Dallas devastated once again.
Even Bueckers‘ career-best performance – a stunning 44-point outburst on 17-of-21 shooting – wasn’t enough. It was the highest-scoring game by any WNBA player this season, but it still went to waste as Dallas slipped to 9-27.
Bueckers makes history but Sparks steal the spotlight
Bueckers may have left the arena frustrated, but she still walked away with another entry in the record books. By scoring in double figures for the 29th consecutive game, she moved past Cynthia Cooper for the third-longest rookie streak in WNBA history. She now trails only Candace Parker (32) and A’ja Wilson (33).
The night began with Dallas shooting efficiently, hitting nearly 58 percent from beyond the arc. Yet defensive lapses proved costly. The Wings were outrebounded 39-32 and committed 17 turnovers, mistakes that opened the door for Los Angeles to hang around. Rickea Jackson poured in 25 points, Cameron Brink swung momentum off the bench, and Plum finished the job.
“Yeah, we got to play some –ing defense,” Plum told reporters afterward, summing up both the Sparks‘ urgency and the Wings‘ failure to close. It was a blunt mic-drop moment that drew cheers from the home crowd, and it underlined how thin the margins are during the Sparks’ playoff push.
The game itself was a back-and-forth showcase of talent. Los Angeles erased an early deficit with a 15-4 second quarter run, capped by Dearica Hamby and Julie Vanloo free throws. Jackson lit up the first half with four three-pointers and 17 points before Bueckers stole the spotlight in the third.
The rookie guard carved up her former UConn teammate Azura Stevens, finished an acrobatic up-and-under, and later capped a Wings rally with a deep three that gave Dallas a seven-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
From there, the contest turned into a seesaw battle. Bueckers hit clutch shots to keep Dallas narrowly ahead, including a free throw after a technical that gave the Wings an 80-79 edge with just over a minute to play. But with the game hanging in the balance, Plum held the ball until the clock bled dry, then darted into the lane past Luisa Geiselsoder. The floater dropped as time expired, and the Sparks stormed the floor in celebration.
For the Wings, it was another lesson in the cruel arithmetic of one-point games. For the Sparks, it was a sign that their playoff hopes remain alive, now sitting just half a game behind Seattle for the final postseason berth.
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