The Los Angeles Sparks were beginning to show signs of recovery from a slow start, only to see Kelsey Plum injure her ankle.
The Sparks will be without Plum for at least a week and hope they can find enough offense to compensate for the WNBA’s top scorer Friday night when they visit the Washington Mystics in a matchup of .500 teams.
Plum sprained her ankle in practice on Tuesday. Since she will not get revaluated until next Tuesday, she’ll also miss Saturday’s game at Connecticut and possibly Tuesday’s visit from Las Vegas. Plum has scored at least 25 in five games so far and leads the league at 26.8 points per game.
Los Angeles (3-3) is playing for the first time since Plum scored 38 points, including 24 in the second half, during Saturday’s 101-95 win at the Aces. Plum shot 12 for 17 and had nine assists, leading her coach Lynne Roberts to call her night “the most unselfish 38 points I’ve ever seen.
“But everybody, I could go down the whole roster,” Roberts said. “Just a total team win. Really proud of just the toughness.”
Los Angeles has scored at least 95 points in four straight games after opening the season with losses to Las Vegas and Indiana.
Without Plum, the Sparks are hoping Nneka Ogwumike can return after missing Saturday’s game with a hand injury. Ogwumike is averaging 15.6 points to start her second stint with the Sparks and practiced earlier this week.
The Sparks will also lean more on Dearica Hamby (18.5 ppg). She contributed 16 on Saturday after getting 27 two days earlier.
Washington (3-3) is attempting to earn consecutive victories for the first time in the early going. After losing by a combined 35 points to Dallas and Seattle, the Mystics earned a 78-64 win at Seattle on Wednesday.
The Mystics held the Storm to 34.9% shooting, marking the third time they allowed below 40%.
“I think (Wednesday) was a reflection of the players’ commitment to the Mystics and our DNA,” Washington coach Sydney Johnson said.
Washington also won despite a quiet showing from leading scorer Sonia Citron, who averages 17.2 points but was held to seven points for the second time in three games.
Without Citron’s production, the Mystics benefited from a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds from Shakira Austin. The Mystics also integrated Michaela Onyenwere into their lineup after the forward missed the first four games with a knee injury; she contributed 14 points.
–Field Level Media
