PHOENIX — The Sparks continue to be road warriors.
The team was great away from home last season and it seemed to have carried over this season. The Sparks led by 21 in the third period against the Mercury and held on for the victory despite the Merc’s attempts to rally. The final score was 97-88.
The Sparks had six players in double figures in a great display of getting all the key players involved. Leading the charge for Los Angeles was Dearica Hamby, who had her first double-double of the season with 27 points and 15 rebounds.
“Dearica was amazing tonight,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “Her finishing ability… like, just her footwork, her ability to finish. But just her activity tonight, I think, is what stood out. Five offensive rebounds. She was everywhere. 7 for 11, just efficient. That one three, the end of the third, was huge. I thought KP (Kelsey Plum) did a great job finding her in that. But, you know, 11 for 11 from free throws… she was locked in. And just had a huge night for us.”
The Sparks scored a season-high 60 points in the first half. They only scored 37 points the rest of the way but they managed to withstand the runs from the Mercury and got the duke.
“We knew Phoenix had a run in them,” Roberts assessed. “They’re a really good team with some vet players and well-coached. We knew that was going to happen but I also knew I had all my timeouts. And so I was ready to use them when we needed to. But I thought, you know, Erica Wheeler hit a big three, Dearica’s big three… we just made shots when it started to get a little bit, you know, when you have an opportunity to lose your composure and these guys hung in there and hung with it. And again, it goes back to defense… offensively, just keep attacking and stay on the attack mode and not play not to lose.”
The Sparks needed this win to avoid a 1-4 hole and Hamby knew they had to step it up.
“I feel like the first four games, even with the win, we didn’t show our best selves,” Hamby said. “And we just have had to have really hard conversations and look in the mirror. Today was just a show of resilience and responding to the challenge at hand. And so we believe in each other. We’re keeping our heads held high. Obviously, it’s just one game right now but definitely turning in the right direction and showing what we’re truly capable of.”
The Sparks were definitely capable of great ball movement as they had 23 assists in 31 made field goals. They also made 15 three-pointers, which tied the second most threes by a Sparks team.
“Offensively, the numbers tell the story,” Roberts stated. “23 assists on 31 made field goals. We attempted 32 threes, which is what we want to do in terms of attack and spray it out if they collapse. I thought our guards… everybody did a good job of not forcing things and finding those open shooters. So I thought the ball movement was much, much better and also our spacing, just being more organized out there.”
The Sparks had a welcome return in Ariel Atkins, who had 11 points and three steals to disrupt the Mercury.
“I think you saw what she brings to our squad. She set the tone for us defensively from the jump,” Roberts said. “She was guarding (Alyssa Thomas) and she’s coming off concussion protocol. And, to then guard Alyssa Thomas is… it shows some guts. And she took a couple of charges, I think three. None of them were called and maybe they weren’t. But she’s throwing her body into it. She’s fearless.”
During that game, Nneka Ogwumike (12 points) passed Tamika Catchings to become fifth on the WNBA all-time scoring list.
Now entering the Top 5. đ
Congrats to @nnekaogwumike on passing Tamika Catchings for 5th in points in the @WNBA. pic.twitter.com/wMTmC7BeIW
â Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) May 22, 2026
“She amazes me every day,” fellow Stanford alum and frontcourt mate Cameron Brink said about Ogwumike. “Just her ability to lead and just be a super caring human but also just a killer on the court. So we’re super proud of her.”
“Yeah, I’ll piggyback off of that,” Hamby added, who played with Ogwumike when she first got to L.A. in 2023. “You know, her being here, I mean, it’s kind of like a full circle moment. To break that record, being back in LA, I’m sure means a lot to her. And just being able to play beside her is cool.”
Again, the Sparks were led by Hamby with 27 and 15. Plum had 16 as the Mercury put their efforts on stopping her while Brink and Rae Burrell, who came off the bench as Atkins was put back in the starting line-up, each scored 12 points. The Mercury were led by Thomas with 23-7-7 and Kahleah Copper with 22 points.
The Sparks (2-3) are back in the win column and hope to even their record as they take on the defending champion Aces in Las Vegas on Saturday.
