The Sparks survive a monster performance from Paige Bueckers for a 81-80 victory over the Dallas Wings, Wednesday night.
Kelsey Plum had the game-winning basket and also notched 20 points with four rebounds.
Rickea had a stellar performance with 12 of her 25 points coming in the first quarter. She also had two steals and five rebounds. Dearica Hamby scored 13 points with nine rebounds and two assists. Cameron Brink ended with 11 points and eight rebounds. Julie Vanloo pitched in with five points off the bench. Azurá Stevens had five points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The lid was sealed shut on the hoop early for the Sparks as they couldn’t knock down a shot. It took five minutes for L.A. to finally score, with Jackson converting on a corner 3-pointer. Paige Bueckers was shooting lights out for Dallas and had eight of their 11 points.
At the three-minute mark, Los Angeles had a total of five turnovers. Jackson drained her second 3-pointer of the quarter. She was up to 11 points and was completely taking over for the team.
Cam put up five points off the bench for Los Angeles. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by two.
The momentum continued into the second quarter for Los Angeles as Rickea knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the half. Rae Burrell came in and converted on a layup. Hamby scored a quick four points. Vanloo was up to two assists and five points.
After not scoring in the first, Kelsey started cooking with four straight points.
The lead kept growing for the Sparks until Maddy Siegrist drained a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding for the Wings. Dallas had made it a closer affair with a surge in their offense, scoring six straight points, but L.A. held it together for a seven-point lead at halftime.
The third quarter began with six straight points off two 3-pointers for Dallas. Azurá got on the board with five straight points of her own. The Wings played with more of a sense of urgency offensively, making it a close affair.
Jackson was now five of six from behind the arc, a season high in triples.
Bueckers was a huge part of Dallas’s better play, scoring another 10 points to add to her total of 26 points. She gave the Wings the lead by one with 2:50 left until the fourth.
Cam threw in a layup to put the Sparks back up by one.
The Wings responded and put themselves back in the lead by four. Los Angeles needed to respond but went completely cold.
Bueckers drained another 3-pointer. She was torching L.A. all by herself. Dallas ended the third on an 18-7 scoring run. Los Angeles was down by seven heading into the fourth.
The Sparks started the final frame by cutting the deficit to three. Dallas rookie JJ Quinerly went down with an injury to her left knee and was carried into the locker room at the nine-minute mark.
The game turned into a tough battle with both teams igniting offensively and taking turns with the lead. Kelsey started to shoulder the load with six straight points. Bueckers was once again on fire, nailing two more 3-pointers to give herself a season-high in points with 39.
After another 3-pointer from Rickea, the Sparks were up by one with 3:38 left in the game. Bueckers couldn’t be contained, putting the Wings up by one. Dearica tied the game with a jumpshot.
Rickea was assessed a technical for throwing the ball at a Wings player. Bueckers converted on the free throw and it put Dallas up by one with 1:03 left.
Kelsey had the opportunity to put L.A. back in the lead, but missed a 3-pointer. Dallas couldn’t score on the other end. With seconds left on the clock, Kelsey had the ball and banked it off the glass for the game-winner.
Key Takeaways:
Rickea is the gift that keeps on giving for this team. She has become such an incredible all-around player.
Cam looked really great out there, it’s a slow process, but she’s coming into form as each game passes.
Every single game is critical for the playoff push. They can’t have stretches where they go cold and let the opposing team find rhythm.
The Sparks’ next game will be Tuesday against the Phoenix Mercury at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at@KarinAbcarians.