{"id":13108,"date":"2026-06-08T04:02:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13108"},"modified":"2026-06-08T04:02:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:02:53","slug":"sparks-pull-away-from-fire-behind-kelsey-plums-2nd-half-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13108","title":{"rendered":"Sparks pull away from Fire behind Kelsey Plum\u2019s 2nd-half surge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Sparks knew they had to play better defense if they were going to end the team\u2019s three-game losing streak against the Portland Fire.<\/p>\n

Read more Bottom of Angels\u2019 order powers rout of Dodgers<\/a><\/p>\n

They did that by holding Portland to 29 points in the second half.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think defensively, we did the things we\u2019re supposed to do,\u201d Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. \u201cI was proud of the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, it was double-doubles by All-Star forwards Dearica Hamby with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike with 20 points and 17 rebounds that also led the Sparks to an 89-72 victory against the Portland Fire at Crypto.com Arena Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being super intentional about our spacing,\u201d Hamby said, who had six offensive rebounds. \u201cI feel like each game we\u2019re still learning each other more and getting more comfortable.<\/p>\n

Ogwumike, who also hauled in six offensive rebounds, said the Sparks were motivated to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were playing for each other,\u201d Ogwumike said. \u201cWe were playing with each other. Offense is offense but defense is really where it\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s 13-4 surge to begin the fourth quarter, which established a 77-59 lead with 5:30, sealed the Sparks\u2019 second home victory of the season. The Sparks improved to 5-6 overall and 2-5 at home.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWinning at home is imperative\u2026 it\u2019s important that we are able to generate and maintain the focus that it requires to win at home,\u201d Ogwumike added.<\/p>\n

However, All-Star guard Kelsey Plum only scored three points in the first half. She was 3 of 3 from the free throw line but did not attempt a field goal and finished with 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I\u2019m known as a scorer but I\u2019m going to play the right way,\u201d Plum said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s, I think, the best one-on-one player in the league in terms of her ability to score but then is also a willing passer,\u201d added Roberts when asked about Plum\u2019s second half surge.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Rae Burrell added 10 points, three rebounds and two steals off the bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we really locked down on our defense,\u201d Burrell said. \u201cThat was the main focus honestly and then that just led into our offense. We were the aggressor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Center Megan Gustafson led Portland (6-7) with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Carla Leite and forward Emily Engstler both scored 10 points apiece.<\/p>\n

Guard Ariel Atkins\u2019 steal and subsequent fast break layup tied it at 43, and Plum\u2019s first shot of the game put the Sparks up 45-43 early in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Plum\u2019s first 3-pointer put the Sparks up 55-45 with 5:18 left in the third.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it was going to open up eventually,\u201d Plum said.<\/p>\n

The Sparks won the third by a 23-12 margin and took a 64-55 lead into the fourth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all got to be on the same page for 40 minutes,\u201d Roberts said before the game. \u201cNot 32, 40 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Roberts said she wanted her reserves, including Burrell, Cameron Brink and Kate Martin, to be two-way players.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need (our bench) to defend,\u201d Roberts said, \u201ccome in and bring up the level of our defense. That\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Nelly Korda captures long-awaited U.S. Women\u2019s Open title at Riviera<\/a><\/p>\n

Martin\u2019s corner 3-pointer put the Sparks up 69-57 with 8:24 remaining. She finished with five points and two blocked shots in eight minutes.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Burrell\u2019s fast break layup made it 24-19 late in the first quarter. The Sparks led 24-21 at the end of the first.<\/p>\n

The Fire went on an 8-0 run, capped off by a layup by rookie forward Nyadiew Puoch, and took a 33-32 lead with 4:47 left in the second quarter.<\/p>\n

Plum scored her first point of the game on a technical free throw and tied the game at 33 with 4:31 to go in the first half.<\/p>\n

Leite\u2019s isolation buzzer-beater put Portland up 43-41 at halftime. Ogwumike led all scorers with 11 points in the first half. Gustafson had 10 points.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a chip on their shoulder,\u201d Roberts said before the game when asked about Portland\u2019s roster, which was formed in April\u2019s expansion draft.<\/p>\n

Former Sparks guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, a first-round selection in the 2025 Draft and recent expansion draft pick, was recently elevated into Portland\u2019s starting lineup, in part due to positive statistical analytics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe training that we do, how we practice, is completely different from what I\u2019m used to, and I\u2019m very blessed for it,\u201d Barker said. \u201cI think that new things create new growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think SA couldn\u2019t have done a better job just in terms of embracing what our identity is as a team,\u201d Portland first-year coach Alex Sarama added. \u201cJust the rate of learning, all our principles of play offensively and defensively. I think she\u2019s fit in perfectly with what we\u2019re trying to achieve here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Sarama said he wanted Barker, who scored all six of her points in the first, to approach playing against the former team the same way she does in every other game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing is always just involving the players and giving them the whys,\u201d Sarama explained. \u201cSo it\u2019s a case of this is why we\u2019re going to train this way. This is why we\u2019re trying to achieve this very particular intention offensively or defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/h4>\n

The Sparks will begin a three-game West Coast road trip at Seattle on Wednesday, June 10.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have a game plan that\u2019s well thought out and it\u2019s us choosing to do it for 40 minutes,\u201d Roberts concluded.<\/p>\n

\n

Lynne Roberts on Los Angeles Sparks vs. Portland Fire WNBA expansion team and Kate Martin\u2019s role off the Sparks bench as a developmental player. pic.twitter.com\/j3h307aGXY<\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 7, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Former Los Angeles Sparks first round pick Sarah Ashlee Barker on embracing Portland Fire\u2019s analytical approach to basketball in her second season in the WNBA. pic.twitter.com\/ejy9i46Drm<\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 7, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Alex Sarama breaks down the Portland Fire\u2019s analytical approach to winning games in the WNBA via guards like Carla Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker. pic.twitter.com\/sKNdgPLJ8B<\/p>\n

Read more Alexander: Riviera was more than worthy host of U.S. Women\u2019s Open<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 7, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plum scores 13 of her 16 points after halftime, while Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby add double-doubles to lead the Sparks to an 89-72 win over Portland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSparks pull away from Fire behind Kelsey Plum\u2019s 2nd-half surge - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13108\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sparks pull away from Fire behind Kelsey Plum\u2019s 2nd-half surge - 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