{"id":5383,"date":"2026-05-12T16:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=5383"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:36:11","slug":"sparks-blown-out-by-aces-in-home-opener-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=5383","title":{"rendered":"Sparks blown out by Aces in home opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Sparks guard Kelsey Plum played with a vengeance and scored a game-high 27 points against her former Las Vegas Aces team.<\/p>\n

Read more PFL returns to San Diego in June with A.J. McKee vs. Salamat Isbulaev<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cComing out of halftime, they just punched us in the face,\u201d Plum said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more disappointed in our effort,\u201d Plum continued. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to lose, it\u2019s 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\u2019re not the Los Angeles Sparks of last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

POSTGAME: Kelsey Plum, Coach Lynne Roberts and Nneka Ogwumike\u2019s full post game media conference after the Sparks 105-78 blowout loss at home against the Las Vegas Aces. pic.twitter.com\/gnUdJ7NqYD<\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 11, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u2019s No. 1 pick in 2012.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always great to be back here,\u201d Ogwumike said. \u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019s not the standard we operate by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forward Dearica Hamby scored 12 points.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can play harder,\u201d Sparks\u2019 second-year coach Lynne Roberts said, \u201cand we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Aces (1-1) had five players reach double figures in the scoring column: (former Sparks guard) Chennedy Carter (22), Jackie Young (20), A\u2019ja 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday was on us,\u201d Ogwumike explained. \u201cDefense is not something that gels; you either want to do it or you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Aces, who shot 62.3% from the field in the game,\u00a0closed 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 early lead.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s reverse layup cut it 42-41 with 15.4 remaining in the first half.<\/p>\n

Sparks guard Erica Wheeler\u2019s potential buzzer-beater felt short, and the Sparks trailed 42-41 at halftime.<\/p>\n

Win or lose, Coach Roberts had some non-negotiables she wanted to see before the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want us to play with pace,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cPlay with space. Early in the season, you\u2019re still trying to forge your identity as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Pasadena trainer Canto \u2018TNT\u2019 Robledo to be inducted in National Boxing Hall of Fame<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need Cam to produce,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWe need Cam to bring that defensive energy. We have so much confidence and belief in her. She\u2019s got to get out on the floor with some confidence and do what she\u2019s capable of doing. We\u2019re going to need her.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Martin, who played for Iowa alongside Caitlin Clark, said she chose to sign with Sparks because of how they approached her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose L.A. because of the way they approached me,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThey wanted me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Kate Martin\u2019s 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<\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 10, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Sparks also debuted veteran defensive-minded guard Ariel Atkins, who finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust some energy and some defensive prowess and a lot of shooting on the outside is what I really want to bring,\u201d Atkins said before the game when asked about her role on the Sparks after being acquired via a trade for Rickea Jackson last month.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely insane to even think that this is my third team,\u201d Atkins continued. \u201cI feel like at one point I never knew if I would ever play in LA, so it\u2019s pretty dope to be here and be in these colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Exclusive: All-Star guard Ariel Atkins before playing her first game with Los Angeles Sparks. <\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 10, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, the Aces used Sunday\u2019s game to bounce back after Saturday\u2019s 99-66 home loss to Phoenix on championship ring night.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery season you start at the bottom of the hill,\u201d Aces coach Becky Hammon said. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to start on the mountain top.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019m breaking down the LA Sparks 105-78 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Sunday\u2019s season opener. <\/p>\n

Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike vowed that her team will play better defense against the Indiana Fever. <\/p>\n

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said she was disappointed in the team\u2019s effort. pic.twitter.com\/cHQTcaO1aA<\/p>\n

Read more UFC 328 tensions rise between champion Chimaev and Strickland<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 11, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Las Vegas pulls away after the Sparks trail by just one point at halftime in a 105-78 rout. The Sparks sign former Iowa guard Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark\u2019s college teammate, to a player development contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSparks blown out by Aces in home opener - 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=5383\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sparks blown out by Aces in home opener - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Las Vegas pulls away after the Sparks trail by just one point at halftime in a 105-78 rout. 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