The Sparks fell short Wednesday on the road, falling 86-75 despite strong performances from Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum.

Posting a game-high 21 points (10-for-17 FG), nine rebounds and four assists, Hamby became just the third player in WNBA history to eclipse 4,000 points, 2,200 rebounds, 650 assists and 350 steals while maintaining at least a 49.0% shooting mark. 

Plum set the Sparks' single-season assists record with seven dimes, surpassing Wednesday's opponent Jordin Canada's 2023 mark while also moving ahead of DeWanna Bonner for 29th all-time in assists. The star lefty also contributed 18 points (5-for-11 FG, 7-for-7 FT) and two steals.

Julie Allemand increased her league-leading assist-to-turnover ratio with five assists and just one turnover, also capturing two steals. On the boards, Hamby and Azurá Stevens continued their consistency, leading the league in 6+ and 5+ rebound games this season with 35 and 37, respectively. Stevens recorded three blocks, notching her seventh performance of the season with at least three blocks, which ranks fifth in the league. It was also her 14th multi-block effort of the year, tied for fifth in the W.

Los Angeles totaled 19 assists, receiving scoring contributions from 10 of 11 players.

QUOTES OF THE DAY:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On positive takeaways from the second half:

“We took much better care of the ball in the second half, we only had two turnovers, and they didn't get out and run in the second half. I think we took good shots. We just, like [Kelsey Plum] said, didn't shoot as well as we normally do, and by shoot, I mean threes and at the rim. We missed some layups that we've been hitting all year, and that gives me confidence going into Friday. And I believe in this group down to my toes. I have a lot of respect for Atlanta and how tough and well-coached they are. But like KP said, too, it'll be kind of a unique experience to just regroup tomorrow and play the same team on Friday. I'm excited for Friday, and I don't like losing, but we got to the free-throw line 20 times versus their eight — we just didn't have our normal offensive punch. We had a bad second quarter, but a lot to build on, and we'll be all right on Friday.”

Kelsey Plum:

On her recent comments about her adaptability:

“I think coming into the league, [I was] just trying to find my footing, what I'm good at — it was a little bit more of Rocky Balboa. Just hard-nosed, tough. I think my play has spoken for itself this season. I'm not one to really toot my own horn, but I get to the paint more than any guard in the league. We don't consider me an athlete, but somehow I get there, you know?  I make a good amount of threes at an efficient clip. When we talk about other guards in the league, we talk about their skill. When we talk about me, we talk about my work ethic. I'm not saying that's the wrong thing, but I was just talking on the podcast about just having a little bit of a changed narrative. Because I think at the end of the day as a basketball player, you want to be known for what you bring to the table, how you get to the free-throw line — and for me, how physical I am, how aggressive I am, how I'm able to playmake for my team. I take a lot of pride in that, so that's what I was talking about.”

What’s Next?: 

The Sparks conclude their three-game road trip against the Dream on Friday (4:30 p.m. PT), returning home to host the Wings on Sunday (3 p.m. PT).