Kelsey Plum just may be in a foul mood when she returns to Las Vegas for the second time this season.
Fresh off a blistering attack of WNBA officiating, Plum leads the Los Angeles Sparks into a battle with the Aces on Wednesday night.
Plum won two WNBA titles with Las Vegas and was a three-time All-Star prior to the offseason three-team trade that landed her in Los Angeles. The Aces received former WNBA scoring champ Jewell Loyd from the Seattle Storm in the deal.
Plum scored 17 points on just 6-of-19 shooting when the Sparks fell 96-81 in Las Vegas on May 30.
But Plum, who ranks third in the league with a 21.8 scoring average, was highly frustrated with the officials after Monday night’s 89-81 overtime loss at home against the Golden State Valkyries.
She scored a game-high 24 points, but felt she should have been at the free-throw line much more than six times during her 40 minutes, 50 seconds on the floor (by the way, she made all six).
“And I’m going to get fined for saying this, but like I drive (to the basket) more than anyone in the league, so to shoot six free throws is (expletive) absurd,” Plum said. “And I got scratches on my face, I’ve got scratches on my body and these guards on these other teams get these ticky-tack fouls and I’m sick of it. I get fouled like that every possession.”
Los Angeles (3-7) has lost seven of nine games entering the rematch with the Aces (4-3). Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson had a season-high 35 points to go with 13 rebounds for Las Vegas in the initial clash.
The Aces also lost to the Valkyries in their latest meeting when the expansion team worked them over 95-68 on Saturday in San Francisco.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon was sharply critical of the team’s effort.
“It’s us being soft mentally and letting people punk us … and whining instead of buckling down and saying, ‘OK, if that’s what it’s going to be, let’s go,'” Hammon said. “I told them effort has to come from your heart. The schemes, the discipline, the habits — that’s your head. Right now we not only have a heart issue, but it’s (becoming) a head issue.
“I’m not going to coach effort. It’s one thing I can’t deal with. You are in charge of your effort. … I’ve never been a coach to pull for mistakes, but I will pull for effort.”
This game is part of the Commissioner’s Cup. Las Vegas is 1-1 in the Western Conference games, while the Sparks are 1-2. The Minnesota Lynx (3-0) lead the West.
–Field Level Media
