The Los Angeles Sparks Defeat the Portland Fire At Crypto.com Arena

By David Jordan Jr

The Los Angeles Sparks welcomed one of the WNBA’s newest franchises, the Portland Fire, to Crypto.com Arena for a Sunday afternoon battle. The Sparks looked to get back to their winning ways after having lost to the Dallas Wings at home on Friday night. From the outset, the Sparks came out to play with enormous energy on both ends of the court, feeding off the crowd inside Crypto.com Arena. After one quarter of play, the Sparks led 24-21 with an established inside presence by Nneka Ogwumike, although the Sparks would trail the Fire 43-41 at halftime. The second half of play saw the Sparks pull away from the Fire, as their pressure defense and rebounding propelled them to a convincing 89-72 victory, ending their three-game losing streak. Both Los Angeles’s perimeter and post play carried the team to victory as Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, while Dearica Hamby added 22 points and 12 rebounds. This was the third straight double-double for Ogwumike and her fifth double-double of the season. Kelsey Plum contributed an all-around game, scoring 16 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals for the Sparks. Rae Burrell added 10 points.

Check Out Photos And Highlights From The Game Below

Photography By Kim Preston