When the Las Vegas Aces raised the banner on their third championship in four years, it was the first time Kelsey Plum experienced the moment from the opposite side.
The two-time champion, who was dealt by the Aces in the massive 2025 offseason trade that sent her to the Los Angeles Sparks and Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas, now works with a team that is still trying to process its identity and re-establish themselves among the better teams in the WNBA. Despite her best efforts in their season opener against the Aces, however, Plum and the Sparks would come up short of victory. However, with both teams having a chance to get into the flow of the season, Aces head coach Becky Hammon expected a much sterner test this time around.
Plum and the Sparks would ultimately make good on that statement, as the guard would explode for 38 points and nine assists to pull out a 101-95 victory over the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
“We had multiple defenders (on Plum). It didn’t matter,” said Hammon during her postgame press conference. “She’s an elite scorer, she’s a world-class scorer. We know that very well.”
Long-range bombardment
Much of Plum’s damage to the Aces was done in the long-range game, firing six of her seven three-point shots successfully to sink her former team.
She would be far from the only person to get it going from beyond the arc. Cameron Brink, Erica Wheeler and Rae Burrell would also get multiple three-point shots to land as the Aces could not find a way to remain connected to Los Angeles’ shooters. As a team, the Sparks landed nearly 50 percent of their shots from long distance, which drew the ire of the Aces towards their own defensive efforts.
“Our defense was just nonexistent today,” said A’ja Wilson. “We had spurts where we played it and it was good, but the majority of the game we were playing catch up.
We got to do better when it comes to that, and that’s something that we’re going to continue to do as practices go on.”
Zero needs a hero
It is difficult to not sympathize with Jackie Young, who is enduring one of the roughest stretches of her WNBA career.
Tonight against the Sparks marks the first time in Young’s seven-year professional career where she has been held off the scoreboard in back-to-back games. Young only got two field goal attempts away in 19 minutes on the court due to five personal fouls. Perhaps it is a case of an early-season slump that works itself out over time, but Young not hitting the All-WNBA form Aces fans have become accustomed to seeing suggests there is an even higher ceiling.
“We know she’s playing with a heavy heart,” said Hammon about Young’s slow start to the season.
“Basketball-wise, it probably hasn’t gotten off to the start that she wants. However, we’re going to give her every support system that we possibly can.”
Picking up the slack
Even when Young or any of the Aces’ top players have an off night, they can at least exit this game knowing they have the horses to keep pace.
Wilson continued her impressive run of form with her second double-double of the season, posting 24 points and 15 rebounds. Chennedy Carter and NaLyssa Smith would also have moments to take over the game with 23 and 22 points, respectively, while Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd also posted double-digit points. While the Aces can appreciate being able to put together high-scoring efforts, it does not matter if they cannot prevent the opponent from hitting one themselves.
“It’s easier to make it flow because it’s hard on the defense. They got to pick their poison,” said Wilson.
“There’s not just one person that you have to dial in on to make sure they don’t get to their spots. It’s multiple people that can go off, so I think when you have multiple people that are able to do that, it does make it harder on the defensive end to guard, how to scheme, because on any given night, it can be anyone.”