Sparks Send Mercury into Retrograde, Playoff Hopes Dashed After Valkyries Collapse
WNBA Los Angeles Sparks

Sparks Send Mercury into Retrograde, Playoff Hopes Dashed After Valkyries Collapse

Published on September 10, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release


Los Angeles Sparks (21-22) at Phoenix Mercury (27-16)

Game 43 | Sept. 9, 2025 | PHX Arena | Phoenix, AZ | NBA TV

Game Leaders:

Sparks

PTS - Dearica Hamby (25)

REB - Dearica Hamby/Azurá Stevens (9)

AST - Dearica Hamby/Kelsey Plum (5)

Mercury

PTS - Satou Sabally (24)

REB - Alyssa Thomas (11)

AST - Alyssa Thomas (10)

Key Takeaways:

Despite the victory, the Sparks' playoff hopes were dashed after the Valkyries blew a late 10-point lead, falling to the Storm. The Sparks' 87-83 road victory snapped their seven-game losing streak to the Mercury

Rae Burrell set a career high with 20 points (7-for-12 FG, 2-for-4 3PT, 4-for-4 FT), also contributing five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block

Kelsey Plum passed Kara Lawson for 13th on the WNBA's all-time 3PM, finishing with 17 points (4-for-8 3PT) and five assists and one steal

Dearica Hamby posted a game-high 25 points (8-for-15 FG, 9-for-10 FT), nine rebounds and five assists. She moved ahead of Chelsea Gray for ninth on the franchise's all-time steals list and rose to seventh on the franchise's offensive rebounds list, passing Tamecka Dixon. Hamby's 16 points in the fourth mark her scoring career high for a quarter

Azurá Stevens overtook Nneka Ogwumike for sole possession of ninth on the Sparks' all-time three-pointers made list. The center-forward also notched eight points (5-for-6 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and a game-high +14 rating

Cameron Brink recorded four points, six rebounds, two blocks, two steals and a +11 rating in 15 minutes. It was the 17th multi-block game of the second-year forward's career in 33 games. It was also the fifth time Brink recorded at least two blocks and two steals in the same game

Los Angeles assisted on 21 of their 29 made field goals and limited Phoenix to 41.7% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc

The match featured 17 lead changes and six ties

First Quarter:

Forward Rickea Jackson opened scoring for the Sparks with a three-pointer via an assist by forward Dearica Hamby at the 9:18 mark

Guard Kelsey Plum drained two threes in a two-minute span to bring the Sparks within one, 12-11, with 6:07 left in the quarter

The Sparks shot 47.1% from the field, turning the ball over just twice in the first quarter

Plum posted a quarter-high eight points with one assist in the opening quarter, going 3-for-5 overall and 2-for-4 from distance

There were six lead changes in the first quarter

Second Quarter:

Guard-forward Rae Burrell got the Sparks going with a triple, assisted by forward-center Azurá Stevens, at the 8:54 mark

Forward Cameron Brink streaked to the basket for a layup set up by guard Julie Allemand, punctuating a 9-2 sparks run and cutting the Mercury lead to 29-28

Burrell's second triple of the quarter via a Plum assist tied the game at 31. On the next Sparks possession, Burrell gave the Sparks the lead, 33-31, on an assist by Stevens with 3:53 remaining in the half

Plum's third long ball of the game put Los Angeles back in front, 36-34, courtesy of Hamby's third assist

Hamby returned the lead to the Sparks on a layup with 46 seconds left, finishing the and-one with a free throw. Sparks lead, 43-41

Burrell (14 PTS, 6-for-8 FG, 2-for-3 3PT, one steal and two rebounds) and Plum (11 PTS, 4-for-6 FG, 3-for-5 3PT, three assists) paced the Sparks in first-half scoring. Burrell scored 12 of her 14 in the second quarter, playing the entire period

The Sparks shot 54.5% from the field and tallied 13 assists in a first half that featured 13 lead changes and two ties

Third Quarter:

Stevens scored her first points of the game and the first points of the half for either team with a pair of free throws

Plum recorded a steal and made a layup to extend the Los Angeles advantage to 52-44

The Sparks started the second half on a 7-0 run

Stevens' first triple of the game tied the score at 61 with 1:52 left in the third, courtesy of an Allemand assist

Forward Cameron Brink delivered a key block on a Satou Sabally three-footer with 31 seconds left, preventing the Mercury from breaking the 61-61 tie

Eleven seconds later, Burrell converted a driving layup to give the Sparks a 63-61 lead

Fourth Quarter:

Hamby completed a three-point play to cut the Sparks deficit to 71-69 at the 7:56 mark

Brink recorded a second key block of the game with 5:42 left, setting up a three-pointer on the ensuing Sparks possession by Plum, assisted by Burrell. This returned the lead to the Sparks, 74-73

Hamby made a running layup off of a Brink steal and Allemand assist at the 3:46 mark to tie the game 74-74. On the next Sparks possession, Hamby completed a three-point play to extend the Sparks lead, 79-74

Los Angeles went on a 13-3 run at the 8:25 mark until the 3:46 mark

Hamby picked up back-to-back offensive rebounds, made the putback and then finished the three-point play to give the Sparks an 86-81 lead with 1:01 to play. The forward totaled a quarter-high 16 points (6-for-11 FG, 4-for-5 FT) and four rebounds in the final quarter

L.A. assisted on five of their seven field goals in the final quarter and finished with no turnovers. The Sparks held a 10-2 advantage in paint scoring in the fourth

Pregame Quotes:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On the message going into Tuesday's pivotal game:

"Everyone's tracking, right? And unfortunately, we need some help from Golden State tonight, but we can only control what we can control. And so, the message has just been about competing and being better than we were on Sunday, and doing everything we can to try to get a win. So, I think it's staying present, being in the moment and really trying not to focus on things you can't control."

On her playoff hopes going into the season:

"I wasn't shy about saying that's what we wanted. We wanted to make the playoffs. I don't think you can look at a roster in the league that hasn't been hit on some level with injuries. We hit it pretty bad in the beginning and did the best we could. I'm proud of our players for hanging in there and sticking with it and sticking with me. I'm here because... I think L.A. - whether we end up making it this year or not - we're going to [eventually make it to playoffs]. L.A is one of the O.G. franchises. I think it's a gold mine for us, and if we do a good job in our offseason, I think that we're going to get our goals. But we're locked in. I've enjoyed these guys a ton, they've given me everything they have. It's never easy, but they've done a good job. And when we talk about changing the culture to be about winning, to be about taking care of each other, we've done that. So, not making the playoffs, to me, is not failure, it's disappointment. That's where I'm sitting with it."

Postgame Quotes:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On accomplishments and challenges of the season:

"[We had] 21 wins. The league is as good as it's ever been. There's not a year in the history that 21 wins doesn't get you in the playoffs. 21 wins in a league that is just competitive from top to bottom. I'm proud of our team for sticking together and sticking with me. They've bought in, and they're playing their tails off, and everyone's tired. Phoenix, L.A., everybody [is] banged up and fighting injuries. These guys, they're giving everything they can, and I'm very proud of that. I'm proud of the culture we have in the locker room. They're for each other. There's genuine happiness for each other, and we have each other's back. I'm proud of that. We're on our way, right? I hope to keep this group together... I love this group. What are things we could have done better? [Dearica Hamby] pointed at it, there's some games I'd love to have back. But that's the way it works, and what you learn from that is you can't just think, 'oh, it'll be fine, it's no big deal, it's June.' Those games matter. And we will learn from that, and that will be put in our pocket for next season, when we're feeling a little whatever, like we've got to find a way... There's 174 things that I'm sure that I'll look back on and want to do better. But right now, I'm just proud of this group, and what we have achieved, and one more game."

On Rae Burrell's and Dearica Hamby's impact this season:

"[Rae Burrell]'s been huge for us, absolutely huge. We joke about her energy and all the things, but man, that matters in winning. I thought she was phenomenal in that first half, and she got two really key, tough offensive boards that we converted on both ends down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Those are game-winning plays. She was just fantastic. And [Dearica Hamby]'s just been so steady. In the timeouts, she was imploring her teammates, like, 'let's do this, let's get this.' So, it's [been] fun to coach these two, for sure."

Rae Burrell

On her aggressiveness Tuesday:

"We were trying to make the playoffs, and we knew that we needed this game. I'm always just trying to come in and do whatever the team needs me to do and be that energy shifter. My teammates and my coach are always just encouraging me to stay aggressive, so, just having that confidence from them really helps me as well. But yeah, just doing whatever I can to help the team."

On her progress this season:

"I'm happy. I just am... always trying to do whatever the team needs me to do. I think they put me in good positions to do that. I'm proud of myself with the progress that I've made. My journey hasn't been perfect, but I've shown resilience throughout it."

Dearica Hamby

On the team's success despite missing the playoffs this year:

"I came here two years ago and... the plan [was] the long term build, and to be a part of it. I want to be here. I feel like we took steps in the right direction. I think it's a little frustrating, because you look at some of the games, and we were two games away, but I could count on two hands how many games that we gave up. So, [I] still [feel] positive, though, and [it's] good momentum for the future."

What's Next?:

The Sparks conclude their regular season Thursday, Sept. 11 (7 p.m. PT), returning home to face the Aces. With a victory in the final game, Los Angeles will end the season on a three-game winning streak and reach the .500 mark for the first time since May 18 when it was 1-1.

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