LA Sparks fall to Valkyries in tough over time loss

At Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Sparks once again showed the kind of team they could be: the kind that digs in, locks down, and forces turnovers while running sets that prove that they have the depth and experience of a well seasoned contender. They are the kind of team that lets Kelsey Plum run the pick-and-roll with precision and poise, cutting through defenders and shifting the tempo on command finding opportunities for Rickea Jackson and Dearica Hamby to get involved in a potent offensive motion. They are the kind of team that can put together quarters filled with momentum, effort, and belief.

However, they’re still not the team that can do it for four straight quarters—and definitely not in overtime.

The Sparks fell 89–81 to the Golden State Valkyries, their third straight loss, despite a gritty 24-point night from Plum and a 20-point, nine-rebound performance from Dearica Hamby. They forced 14 lead changes, dominated the fast break (25–8), and had solid stretches defensively—but scored just three points in overtime and came up empty down the stretch. After four quarters that had the look of and the statistics of winning basketball it was another scoring lapse late in the game that ultimately put them in a position they have become all too familiar with.

And for Plum, the problem isn’t just execution. It’s the whistle. Or lack thereof.

“I also thought, and I’m going to get fined for saying this, but I drive more than anyone in the league, so to shoot six free throws is f—– absurd,” Plum said postgame. “I got scratches on my face. I got scratches on my body. And these guards on the other team get these ticky-tack fouls, and I’m sick of it… I get fouled like that every possession.”

“There’s multiple shots at the end of the game, either going into the third, into the fourth, where they’re just coming in, just f—— swinging, and they just don’t call anything. And I don’t understand how that’s six free throws, playing 40 minutes, touching the paint.”

It was a rare moment of raw emotion from one of the league’s fiercest competitors—highlighting not just frustration with the officials, but with how close this Sparks team is to finally turning the corner.

They played hard. They executed in stretches. They got clutch buckets—including a Plum three that gave them a 78–76 lead with 38 seconds left in regulation. But they also had long scoring droughts, breakdowns in transition, and again couldn’t finish.

“We just had a hard time finding the basket,” head coach Lynne Roberts said. “I don’t know if we ran out of steam or what… I despise losing, but it is a process.”

It is. But for Plum and the Sparks, patience is wearing thin. They’ve seen what this team can be. Now they just want to see it for four quarters.

They’ll get another shot Wednesday against the Aces. A statement win could flip the narrative. But until then, the story stays the same: flashes of fire—just not a full blaze.