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Kelsey Plum, Sparks outlast Paige Bueckers, Wings

August 16, 2025

ARLINGTON, Texas — The surging Sparks survived a furious rally from the Dallas Wings on Friday night – barely.

Kelsey Plum scored 28 points, Dearica Hamby had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Sparks held on to beat the Wings, 97-96, after Paige Bueckers missed a potential game-winning 3-point attempt.

Plum gave the Sparks a 95-82 lead with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter before Dallas closed the game on a 14-2 run.

Plum made the Sparks’ next basket at the 1:03 mark for a 97-91 lead, but Bueckers answered with a quick layup to pull within four and the Sparks turned it over at the other end.

JJ Quinerly sank a 3-pointer from the corner with 15.1 seconds left to cut the hosts’ deficit to one point. Plum missed two free throws with 12.3 seconds left and Dallas took over possession after a jump ball.

Bueckers raced up the floor for a contested 3-pointer that rolled off the rim as time expired.

Azura Stevens and Rickea Jackson each added 15 points for the Sparks (16-17), who never trailed while winning for the 13th time in their past 16 games. Julie Allemand had 12 points, 10 assists and four steals. Hamby had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for the sixth time this season.

Bueckers finished with 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting for Dallas (9-25), which has lost six of its past seven games. The No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft became the fastest player in franchise history to score 500 points. Maddy Siegrist added 15 points, Quinerly had 11 points and nine assists, and Aziaha James scored 10 points.

Dallas played without star guard Arike Ogunbowale (right knee soreness) for the second straight game.

The Sparks jumped to a 15-6 lead after a three-point play by Hamby at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter. Dallas culled its deficit to two points multiple times before the visitors swung back for a 32-27 lead after 10 minutes of play.

The Wings tied the score at 34-34 when Diamond Miller scored on a layup 2½ minutes into the second quarter. The Sparks rebuilt the lead to a half-high 11 points on Jackson’s two free throws with 1:05 left in the period before the Wings roared back to score the final eight points and draw within 53-50 at the intermission.

The Sparks expanded their advantage to 80-68 heading into the fourth quarter. Plum, who reached 4,000 career points during the first half, gave her team a 15-point lead with a 3-pointer with 8:11 left, before the Wings put together their late surge.

Orange County Register

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Kelsey Plum, Sparks outlast Paige Bueckers, Wings

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