Sparks Smother Fire in Dominant Win
Published on June 7, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release
The Sparks defeated the Fire, 89-72, behind double-doubles from Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamb y. Los Angeles shot 42.7% from the field (32-for-75), forced 17 turnovers which they turned into 23 points and recorded 11 steals while holding the Fire to 36.1% shooting (26- for-72) and 10.7% from three-point range (3-for-28).
Ogwumike finished with 20 points on 57.1% shooting from the field (8-for-14) and a season- high 17 rebounds, recording her 120th career double-double and fifth of the season, which ranks fourth in the WNBA. It marked the 10th time in her career that she has posted double-doubles in three or more consecutive games, as well as the seventh game of her career with 20+ points and 15+ rebounds. During the game, Ogwumike also passed Lisa Leslie for the most two-point field goals made in Sparks franchise history and tallied two steals.
Hamby recorded a game-high 22 points on 61.5% shooting from the field (8-for-13) and added 12 rebounds for her 56th career double-double, including matching her career high with six offensive boards. The forward also collected the 400th steal of her career Kelsey Plum contributed 16 points on 50.0% shooting from the field (5-for-10), seven assists and six rebounds, while Rae Burrell added 10 points off the bench.
Erica Wheeler contributed a +32 rating, the fourth-highest mark of the WNBA season and tied for 17th in franchise history.
First Quarter:
Forward Nneka Ogwumike opened scoring for the game at the 9:55 mark with a layup via an assist from guard Erica Wheeler
Los Angeles had a 10-2 scoring run from the 7:24 to the 4:35 mark in the opening quarter, making the score 15-9
Ogwumike and Burrell tied for a game-high seven points each in the first quarter. The trio of Burrell, Ogwumike and Wheeler combined for 20 points (8-for-11 FG, 4-for-7 3PT)
The competitive quarter featured six lead changes and three ties
Los Angeles held Portland to 23.8% from the field (5-for-21) and 22.2% from beyond the arc (2-for-9)
The Sparks shot 50.0% from the field (9-for-18) and 40.0% from three-point range (4- for-10) Second Quarter:
Portland went on an 8-0 run to take a 33-32 lead at the 4:47 mark
Wheeler shot 2-for-3 from the field and from beyond the arc, earning six points, two assists, and a team-high +10 rating in the first half
Ogwumike contributed a game-high 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half of play
There were seven lead changes and eight ties in the opening half
Los Angeles held Portland to 32.6% from the field (14-for-43) and 11.1% from three- point territory (2-for-18) in the first half
In the opening half, the Sparks led by as many as seven. The Fire's largest lead was two points Third Quarter:
The Sparks went on a 14-4 run to take a 57-43 with Hamby 's layup at 4:16
The Sparks shot 52.9% from the field (9-for-17), 50.0% from three-point range (2-for-4) and 100.0% from the free throw line (3-for-3) in the third quarter
Ogwumike recorded a team-high three rebounds in the third quarter
Plum scored a quarter-high nine points (4-for-6 FG, 1-for-1 3PT), also notching two assists in the third
Hamby scored seven points in the quarter (3-for-3 FG, 1-for-1 FT)
Los Angeles led by as many as 11 in the quarter Fourth Quarter:
With her layup at 3:19, Ogwumike passed Lisa Leslie to become the Sparks all-time leader in 2PT field goals made
With less than one second left in the game, Hamby converted a layup to deepen the Sparks' lead and finish scoring for the game. The forward also tallied a game-high nine points and seven rebounds in the final quarter
In less than two minutes of play, guard Kate Martin contributed five points, completing all her attempts from the field (2-for-2 FG, 1-for-1 3PT)
In the second half, Los Angeles outrebounded Portland 22-15 and led the Fire in second chance points 13-4 and steals 10-4
The Sparks held the Fire to 10% (1-for-10) from beyond the arc in the second half Pregame Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On hosting Pride Night at Crypto.com Arena:
"One of the things that I love about this league is the inclusivity. It's a league where you see players are able to be themselves and dress how they want and carry themselves how they want. I think that's what's fantastic about our league. There's a celeb ration of [being] who we are and for our [organization]. I'm happy to be a part of that."
On prioritizing consistency while developing offensively and defensively:
"We're not running complex schemes right now. You got to walk before you can run. We have to have discipline to just execute what we're trying to do. We do it sometimes and [then] we don't do it the next time... If we want to reach our potential, it has to be all the time... We're so inconsistent with our discipline. That's why I'm frustrated."
On work ethic and discipline this season:
"It comes down to the discipline to do things right on both ends of the floor. Yes, you can make mistakes. They're going to happen. There's a whole column in the stat sheet for turnovers... I'm not saying be perfect, but be disciplined to do the simple things right... We haven't added complexities defensively yet... That's what I'm looking for. They know we're right there. But to be honest, I'm tired of talking about being right there. It's go time."
Postgame Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On Nneka Ogwumike's leadership:
"I think the best leaders have the yin-yang of confidence. Confident in who they are. Confident from the work they put in. Confident in their experience. But, it's equally balanced with humility. Nneka [Ogwumike] is incredibly confident in what she can do, her role and her impact in all ways."
On discipline as a foundation:
"The discipline to do things the way we're supposed to do them allows you to then be a little more aggressive in different ways, but if you can't do'A '
first, you can't get to'B.
' I thought we did a good job of that... You get rewarded from winning, but I think more so we get rewarded seeing [the result of] when we focus on things... When we focus on the discipline to do the little things for each other, that's how you build trust out there as a unit. Then, that just kind of has a snowball effect."
Nneka Ogwumike
On the team's performance on Sunday evening:
"I think one thing that we've really been adamant about is getting the schemes that the coaches put us in and adhering to those schemes... We bought into that, and that allowed us to make adjustments on the schemes without feeling like we need to change something, because we weren't originally executing what they had in plan for us. So, I appreciated that... We started getting stops and we really wanted to lean into that... We were motivated. We were playing for each other. We're playing with each other... Offense is offense, but defense is really where it's at.
Today, I think we did a really good job of not leaving any gas in the tank on the defensive end."
On securing a win at home:
"Obviously, it feels good. .. Winning at home is imperative... It's not just because you need to win at home, but when it gets down to the season, you're playing for home-court advantage, because there is an advantage there. We have a very iconic arena, as well. There's so much here that the fans bring. It's important that we are able to generate and maintain the focus that it requires to win at home, because we've shown that we can win on the road. The system is a bit more insular when you're on the road so, we want to be able to create that same focus -- laser focus -- when we're at home to be able to win, and I think today was a good start ."
Dearica Hamby
On Chance Gray's impact on the floor:
"[Chance Gray] is super- mature for being a rookie. She's confident in her shot. She's confident in her defense. We always talk about [how] she reminds us of Sugar Rodgers.
She's taken advantage of the opportunity, and she's my little partner, so I'm proud of her."
On Nneka Ogwumike being her rock on and off the court: "
[Nneka Ogwumike fosters] that safety and that trust. This goes back for me -- three years ago -- when I was going through one of the hardest times in my life. She just stays super-consistent in that. No matter playing bad, playing good, whatever the outcome of basketball is, she just stays consistent through normal life."
With the victory, the Sparks have now raised $5,000 this Commiss ioner's Cup for Brotherhood Crusade.
NEXT: The Sparks head back on the road to face the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. PST.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 7, 2026
- Sparks Smother Fire in Dominant Win - Los Angeles Sparks
- Sky Lose to Tempo on the Road, 85-68 - Chicago Sky
- The Cup Chase- Volume 3 - WNBA
- Valkyries Sign Center Nadia Fingall to Rest-Of-Season Contract - Golden State Valkyries
- Fever Look to Bounce Back in Washington - Indiana Fever
- Preview: Sky Look to Extend Winning Streak in Matchup against Tempo on Sunday - Chicago Sky
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