Sparks Break Fever, Win Seventh of Eight
WNBA Los Angeles Sparks

Sparks Break Fever, Win Seventh of Eight

August 6, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release


Indiana Fever (17-13) at Los Angeles Sparks (13-15)

Game 28 | August 5, 2025 | Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, CA | Spectrum SportsNet

Attendance: 16,035

Game Leaders:

Fever

PTS - Kelsey Mitchell (34)

REB - Aliyah Boston (9)

AST - Aari McDonald/Kelsey Mitchell (6)

Sparks

PTS - Rickea Jackson/Kelsey Plum (25)

REB - Julie Allemand (8)

AST - Kelsey Plum (11)

First Quarter:

Forward Rickea Jackson drilled an unassisted three-pointer in front of the Sparks bench to begin the game. She led the Sparks with eight points (3-for-5 FG, 2-for-2 3PT) in the quarter

Guard Kelsey Plum scored the next five points for Los Angeles, including her first triple of the game

The Sparks made their first three-point attempts of the game, with one each from Jackson, Plum and forward-center Azurá Stevens

Jackson scored five straight points for the Sparks to take a one-point lead, 22-21, at the 2:21 mark

Los Angeles shot 11-for-22 from the field and 4-for-7 (57.10%) from beyond the arc

Guard Julie Allemand dished a game-high four assists

The first quarter featured seven lead changes and three ties

Second Quarter:

Forward Cameron Brink recorded her fourth block of the night at the 8:10 mark

Allemand's driving layup off a Stevens assist at the 8:30 mark were the Sparks' first points scored of the quarter

The Sparks went on a 23-8 run to take a 49-38 lead with 3:57 left in the half

With 4:53 left in the first half, guard Julie Vanloo drained Los Angeles' first triple of the second quarter with assistance from Hamby

Hamby (7-for-10 FG) and Plum (5-for-6 FG, 2-for-2 3PT, 2-for-3 FT) scored a game-high-tying 14 points in the first half, while Plum dished a game-high eight assists, which tied her career high for dimes in a half. Hamby grabbed a team-high five rebounds

In the first half, the Sparks led the Fever in paint points 30-20. The Sparks shot 56.4% from the field and 50.0% (7-for-14) from deep in the first half, assisting on 17 of their 22 field goals

Third Quarter:

Jackson opened the second half with a layup assisted by Plum

At the 6:19 mark, Stevens sank the first three-pointer of the second half off an Allemand assist

Jackson made a tough driving layup to extend the lead to ten (70-60) at the 2:54 mark

Brink, with a successful coaches challenge, recorded her fifth block of the game, matching her career high

In the third quarter, Jackson scored a team-high 10 points (4-for-7 FG, 2-for-2 FT)

Allemand recorded four rebounds and two assists in the third quarter

Los Angeles led the fever in paint points 14-8 in the third quarter. The Sparks shot 52.9% from the field, and 66.7% from the free throw line

Fourth Quarter:

Allemand knocked down a three-pointer at the 8:01 mark to end the Sparks' lead to 83-66

Los Angeles went on a 10-2 run at the 8:38 mark until the 6:23 mark

Stevens drained a three-pointer, assisted by Hamby, to bring the Sparks lead to 22 points, 93-71 at the 5:41 mark

To stop the Fever run and bring the Sparks back up 98-89, Stevens buried another three-pointer, assisted by Allemand with 1:17 left in the third

In the fourth, the Sparks shot 60.0% from the field, 66.7% from deep and 100.0% from the free-throw line

Main Takeaways:

The Sparks became the first team in WNBA history to score 100+ points in four of five games, averaging 96.8 points per game during this stretch

Los Angeles won its seventh of eight games, snapping Indiana's five-game winning streak. The Sparks advance to 42-16 against the Fever in franchise history

The home team shot 56.1% from the field, 50.0% (13-for-26) from beyond the arc and 86.7% from the free-throw line, matching its season high in made threes. The Sparks held a 48-36 paint points advantage, leading by as many as 22 points in the fourth

With a team-high-tying 25 points and game-high 11 assists, Kelsey Plum recorded her second double-double of the season and seventh of her career. The guard also posted a game-high +15 rating. The lefty tied the WNBA all-time record for most consecutive games with five straight of at least 20 points and five assists. Caitlin Clark, Arike Ogunbowale and Cappie Pondexter have also accomplished the feat

Rickea Jackson scored a team-high-tying 25 points (10-for-18 FG, 3-for-5 3PT, 2-for-2 FT) and tallied five rebounds

In her third game this season, Cameron Brink matched her career high with five blocks and had a +12 rating in 16 minutes

Azurá Stevens shot perfectly from beyond the arc, matching her career high in made three-pointers with five. The forward-center also went 7-for-8 FG and had two blocks

Dearica Hamby recorded 16 points (8-for-12 FG), seven rebounds and three assists

Rae Burrell tallied seven points (2-for-3 FG, 3-for-3 FT), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and posted a +14 rating

Julie Allemand recorded a team-high eight rebounds and seven assists that resulted in 20 points

Pregame Quotes:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On what makes the Indiana Fever tough to beat:

"Everybody in this league is hard to beat. I think they're playing really well right now, they're a balanced team. I want to give a shout-out to Aari McDonald, I think she's done a tremendous job there. She's found a home, and she's really elevated their group. Kelsey Mitchell is the fastest guard in the league in terms of off the dribble, and when she gets going, it's nearly impossible [to guard]. They've got [Sophie] Cunningham shooting, [Lexie] Hull comes in and shoots it, they defend well, and then Natasha Howard and [Aliyah Boston] are tough. They're physical, they play hard... [they're] playing with a little more swagger and a little more confidence. They're coming in here [as] one of the hottest teams right now, so we have our hands full. There's a lot that goes into beating anybody in this league. I think for them, we gotta handle the physicality and play with pace. That's gonna be big."

On keys to winning tonight's game:

"We've got to defend the three-point line well. It seems like when they really get going, they're hitting from [the three-point line], and that could be from anybody, right? I think we've got to do a good job keeping them off the free-throw line, but it cuts both ways. We do well when we're hitting threes, and when we're getting to the free-throw line, so it might be a battle of wills in those regards, but we've got to be good on our matchups, and defending personnel. At this point, we've played them twice, this is the third time, so it becomes a little more of a chess match than checkers in terms of making adjustments, but I think both Indiana and we are confident right now, but nothing's easy."

On the Sparks' confidence as a team:

"I think we're still a work in progress in [confidence]. What has been really cool for me is to see these guys are learning what it takes to win, what winning looks like. Whether it's the first quarter or the fourth, [they're learning] what winning plays are. If you look at [WNBA] standings, two through 10, it's just crazy, right? No win is easy, and... at this point in the season, every game matters. So if you're not playing confidently, and with a little bit of edge, and believing in what you're doing and each other, then you're not gonna win. It's been really rewarding to see these guys understand what it takes to really win and to hate losing. They've turned the corner with that, which is cool. I feel like our group's confident, but they're humble. There's not a sense of 'we've arrived,' because we haven't. We have not achieved what we said we were gonna do. I think we're having a solid season, but we didn't set out to have a solid season. We want to make the playoffs. I'm not shy about saying that. Will we? I don't know. It's hard, but that's certainly the goal, and we just gotta keep pushing. I certainly think if you're not confident in your work and your teammates, it's almost impossible."

Postgame Press Conference Quotes:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On whether the Sparks' scoring distribution is sustainable:

"I don't see why it isn't. I think the balance is what makes it tough. [Rickea Jackson is] such a tough guard, and you can put somebody smaller on her to match her athleticism or speed, or you can put somebody bigger on her to match her size, and either way, she's going to make you wrong. I don't think that's going to change from here to the end of the season. I could go down the list. Dearica [Hamby] is who she is. She's so efficient. 8-for-12 and rebounding and all the things. [Azurá Stevens] was 5-for-5 from [the three-point line]. Is she always going to be 5-for-5 for three? No, but you have to guard her, and that's going to open things up. So, she might go 0-for-5, but she's on the scouting report, 'Do not let her shoot...' That's who she is. And then we've talked about [Kelsey Plum]... I think we all in this room know she could go for 40, but she wants to win more than go for 40. And if going for 40 is what it takes to win, then she'll do it. But tonight, she gained so much attention from the other team's scouting report- as she should- but she's not trying to get hers, she's trying to win. If it means she's gotta take it, she's gonna, and I think that's a luxury. So can we sustain it? Yeah, I don't see why not."

On guiding the team through the Fever's run:

"Just stay steady. We're all right. That was their run. We got to defend the three. That was a flurry by them, and that's a sign of a great team. They didn't quit... [When] we were up 22 [points], they could have folded. They didn't, and I respect that. The lead was a little too big for it, but they hit some big shots. Made us a little bit uncomfortable. But, I think you just have to stay steady and not panic, not play not to lose. So, I think we did end up winning by nine."

Rickea Jackson

On her 26.0-point average in the last two games:

"I just feel like as a group, we're just playing together. I feel like we're very dangerous, and our momentum and our energy is really good right now. Like Coach [Lynne Roberts] said, we're not flinching, so we just have that confidence in each other. If we get down, we're not panicking anymore... we know what to do. We've been here before. We have the mental toughness together. We're humble, whatever that needs to be. But I just keep coming and coming and coming, not putting our heads down."

On playing alongside Kelsey Plum:

"[Kelsey Plum] is literally one of the most high IQ players I've ever played with. The way that she looks at the game, the things that she tells me within the game, even at practice, it has helped grow my game so much, but also the confidence she's instilled in me each and every game. She's coming up to me, and she doesn't know how much that means to me, because as our leader, like at the end of the day, you want to make your leader proud... So being able to play with her, I feel like has not only elevated my game, but the team as well. And I feel like it's only going to get better."

Kelsey Plum

On sharing the ball more:

"I think I've learned throughout the season I'm best when I take less shots, and not just that, but being very decisive and trying to really read the defense. You know, sometimes my competitive spirit gets the best of me and I just try to make something happen. But I thought I was really patient tonight and just reading what they were giving me. Credit to my teammates, like Dearica [Hamby] did an incredible job making herself available, rolling, [Rickea Jackson] posting up and when they move, it makes my job super easy. So I thought tonight our movement, I just was a beneficiary of that. But it was really awesome to see everyone firing on all cylinders."

On the team finding their "swagger":

"It was a great win, and that's something that [the team] has talked a lot about being successful on the road and not as successful at home. [GM Raegan Pebley] was very intentional this week about changes, it's got to change. We want to be in the playoffs. We got to win our home games. So I think you just saw a level of intensity and competitiveness, and [Rickea Jackson] wasn't doing anything other than what she normally does. As a player, you're competing, you make the bucket. You look at them like you let them know I'm just so proud. Proud of Rickea [Jackson], proud of Azurá [Stevens], proud of both Julies [Vanloo and Allemand]. I thought collectively as a team, we came in and it was our energy. And I think the difference between us winning and losing is really our energy and our intensity. Shots fall, shots don't fall. But at the end of the day, we had an energy about us that won us this game."

What's Next?:

The Sparks welcome the Connecticut Sun to Los Angeles Thursday, Aug. 7 (7 p.m. PT), before traveling to the Bay Area to face the Golden State Valkyries Saturday, Aug. 9 (5:30 p.m. PT). Los Angeles then hosts the Seattle Storm the following evening (5 p.m. PT).

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from August 6, 2025


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