Sparks extinguish Fire, secure statement win
- Jackie Rae
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
Ahead of Sunday night’s matchup against the Portland Fire, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts kept her message simple: no excuses.
Roberts emphasized the need for a full 40-minute effort on both ends of the floor — something the Sparks have struggled to sustain. In Friday’s loss to the Dallas Wings, those issues were glaring late, as both Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogwumike were scoreless in the fourth quarter.
When asked whether she addressed the need for late-game assertiveness with her stars, Roberts didn’t overcomplicate it. “Not really,” she said. “They know they need to be more assertive, and it will come.”
The Sparks opened with the urgency Roberts has been calling for. After winning the opening tip, Ogwumike converted an early layup, setting the tone. But it was Rae Burrell who carried the momentum late in the first quarter. A deep three, followed by a defensive rebound and a transition layup, helped push Los Angeles to a 24-21 lead entering the second.
The game tightened in the second quarter, with both teams trading baskets. With under four minutes remaining in the half, the score was tied at 33.
Intensity picked up after the break. Early in the third, Erica Wheeler’s steal led to an easy Hamby finish, giving the Sparks a 47-43 edge. Still, third-quarter leads have been anything but secure for Los Angeles this season — especially against a Fire team leaning into its “rejects” identity.
This time, experience steadied the Sparks.
Late in the third, Kelsey Plum’s isolation attack against Sarah Ashley Barker shifted momentum decisively. Capitalizing on Portland turnovers, Los Angeles built a nine-point cushion heading into the fourth.
And unlike Friday, their stars delivered late.
Ogwumike scored seven points in the final frame, while Hamby added nine. The duo also combined for eight rebounds, helping the Sparks control the tempo and close out the win.
For Hamby, the difference wasn’t a dramatic shift in mindset — just sharper execution.
“I think just being super intentional about our spacing,” she said. “I feel like each game we’re still just kind of learning each other more.”
Roberts echoed that sentiment, pointing to consistency as the next step.
“We have to collectively, as a staff and as players, choose to do it every game,” she said.
That standard will be tested quickly. The Sparks, now 3-1 on the road, head to Seattle on Wednesday before continuing their trip against Phoenix and Golden State. They return to Los Angeles on June 17 to face the Minnesota Lynx.
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