LOS ANGELES — Sparks guard Kelsey Plum played with a vengeance and scored a game-high 27 points against her former Las Vegas Aces team.
Read more PFL returns to San Diego in June with A.J. McKee vs. Salamat Isbulaev
“Coming out of halftime, they just punched us in the face,” Plum said. “We didn’t respond.”
The Sparks were overmatched in the second half and trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter of a 105-78 loss against the Aces at Crypto.com Arena Sunday.
“I’m more disappointed in our effort,” Plum continued. “It’s one thing to lose, it’s one thing to have a tough shooting night but overall as a team and as leader, I hear Nneka, I need to look in the mirror and figure out how to impact winning and defensively we have to be better. We’re not the Los Angeles Sparks of last year.”
POSTGAME: Kelsey Plum, Coach Lynne Roberts and Nneka Ogwumike’s full post game media conference after the Sparks 105-78 blowout loss at home against the Las Vegas Aces. pic.twitter.com/gnUdJ7NqYD
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 11, 2026
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 19 points (3 of 5 from 3-point range) and 10 rebounds in her first game back since playing the past two seasons with Seattle. Ogwumike was the team’s No. 1 pick in 2012.
“It’s always great to be back here,” Ogwumike said. “I’m so grateful to be back where it all started, especially with Coach Lynne and KP and the squad that we have together. I was feeling the feels but all I can think about right now is how I feel like we disappointed the people that came to the home opener. Playing here even before I left, that was not it. That’s not the standard we operate by.”
Forward Dearica Hamby scored 12 points.
The Sparks, who never led, dropped to 0-1, but nearly overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half and only trailed by one, 42-41, at halftime.
“We can play harder,” Sparks’ second-year coach Lynne Roberts said, “and we will.”
The Aces (1-1) had five players reach double figures in the scoring column: (former Sparks guard) Chennedy Carter (22), Jackie Young (20), A’ja Wilson (19), (former Sparks guard) Chelsea Gray (16), NaLyssa Smith (12). They began the second half on a 12-4 run and reestablished a 54-45 advantage with 6:07 left in the third quarter.
From then on, it was all Las Vegas, which won the third quarter by a 33-18 margin. The Sparks trailed 75-59 heading into the fourth.
“Today was on us,” Ogwumike explained. “Defense is not something that gels; you either want to do it or you don’t.”
The Aces, who shot 62.3% from the field in the game, closed the first quarter on a 14-0 run and established a 29-14 advantage going into the second quarter. Wilson paced her team with eight points in the first.
The Sparks, who shot 37.2% on 29 of 78 field goal attempts, trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, chipped away at the defending champs’ early lead.
Ogwumike stormed down the lane for a wide-open layup and narrowed it 39-34 with 2:06 left in the first half. The 15-year veteran drained a 3-pointer, which cut it to 41-39 with 58 seconds left before halftime. Ogwumike’s reverse layup cut it 42-41 with 15.4 remaining in the first half.
Sparks guard Erica Wheeler’s potential buzzer-beater felt short, and the Sparks trailed 42-41 at halftime.
Win or lose, Coach Roberts had some non-negotiables she wanted to see before the game.
“I want us to play with pace,” Roberts said. “Play with space. Early in the season, you’re still trying to forge your identity as a team.”
Read more Pasadena trainer Canto ‘TNT’ Robledo to be inducted in National Boxing Hall of Fame
Sparks forward Cameron Brink, the primary backup for Ogwumike and Hamby, was held scoreless in eight minutes. Brink grabbed three rebounds but had three fouls and three turnovers.
“We need Cam to produce,” Roberts said. “We need Cam to bring that defensive energy. We have so much confidence and belief in her. She’s got to get out on the floor with some confidence and do what she’s capable of doing. We’re going to need her.”
Meanwhile, Kate Martin was signed by the Sparks to a development contract on Sunday after being waived by the Golden State Valkyries a few days prior.
Martin, who played for Iowa alongside Caitlin Clark, said she chose to sign with Sparks because of how they approached her.
“I chose L.A. because of the way they approached me,” Martin said. “They wanted me here.”
Kate Martin’s emotional interview after signing a developmental contract with the LA Sparks after being waived this week by the Golden State Valkyries. pic.twitter.com/cKlJFqpb8m
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 10, 2026
The Sparks also debuted veteran defensive-minded guard Ariel Atkins, who finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“Just some energy and some defensive prowess and a lot of shooting on the outside is what I really want to bring,” Atkins said before the game when asked about her role on the Sparks after being acquired via a trade for Rickea Jackson last month.
Prior to the game, Atkins revealed she never thought she would play for a team other than the Washington Mystics, where she won the 2019 WNBA championship after being drafted in 2018.
“It’s absolutely insane to even think that this is my third team,” Atkins continued. “I feel like at one point I never knew if I would ever play in LA, so it’s pretty dope to be here and be in these colors.”
Exclusive: All-Star guard Ariel Atkins before playing her first game with Los Angeles Sparks.
Atkins won the 2019 WNBA championship with the Washington Mystics and was traded to the Sparks by the Chicago Sky for forward Rickea Jackson. pic.twitter.com/3uYkNbDEtm
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 10, 2026
Meanwhile, the Aces used Sunday’s game to bounce back after Saturday’s 99-66 home loss to Phoenix on championship ring night.
“Every season you start at the bottom of the hill,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “You don’t get to start on the mountain top.”
I’m breaking down the LA Sparks 105-78 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Sunday’s season opener.
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike vowed that her team will play better defense against the Indiana Fever.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said she was disappointed in the team’s effort. pic.twitter.com/cHQTcaO1aA
Read more UFC 328 tensions rise between champion Chimaev and Strickland
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 11, 2026