Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson (2) blocks Mystics forward Shakira Austin during a 99-80 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena July 15. 2025 (Courtesy photo)
The Los Angeles Sparks received huge efforts from Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, and Kelsey Plum while earning a 99-80 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Hamby scored 18 of her 26 points in the first half, Jackson had 22, and Plum tallied 14 of her 20 points in the first half for Los Angeles.
The Sparks improved to 8-14 with the win, and have won three of their last four games while they head into the All-Star break.
Washington fell to 11-11 with the loss, snapping its three-game winning streak.
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“You saw how bad we wanted this one,” said Sparks coach Lynne Roberts. “I’m happy, and it certainly makes the break better, and I’m really proud of these guys — but I really am gonna keep my foot on the gas and make sure that our team does the same.”
Shakira Austin finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocks for the Mystics while Sug Sutton had 14 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 13.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby (5) finished with 26 points and six rebounds during a 99-80 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena July 15. 2025 (Courtesy photo)
The Mystics outrebounded the Sparks 35-30, but Washington finished with 17 turnovers. They also were outscored 58-34 in paint points.
“We’ve been starting on the defensive end,” said Jackson, who added one steal and one block for the Sparks. “We’ve been letting our defense dictate our offense. And I feel like when we’re doing that, the offense has been really fun, looked really good, and tonight, especially in the first half, we were really disrupting them, not letting them do what they wanted to do.”
Azurá Stevens gave Los Angeles a 16-9 lead in the first after making a three-pointer. That helped them get to a 26-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. Stevens finished with 15 points for the Sparks.
Los Angeles used a 17-2 run over the final four minutes of the second quarter, including a Hamby buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave the Sparks a commanding 59-34 halftime lead.
“No one on our team would want anyone to hit a buzzer beater more from three than Dearica,” said Plum on her teammate. “We were just all super excited, and especially the way it rolled in — it was very, like, climactic. … It was a great moment and it just represented the style we’re trying to play moving forward.”
The Mystics outscored the Sparks 46-40 in the second half but Los Angeles was able to hold onto its double-digit advantage the rest of the way, leading to a 99-80 victory.
“Thought tonight was our best,” Plum said. “I know the numbers back it up, but in terms of like, our pace, and the way we shared the ball, the way we moved, we got great shots. We got great, quality shots. So just to continue to do that and defensively, like Rickea said, fly around, be super physical.”
The Sparks will now enjoy one week off for All-Star break before traveling to face the Mystics again on Tuesday, July 22 at 4:30 p.m.