LOS ANGELES — Kelsey Plum is on a hot streak in the first week of the WNBA season.
The Sparks are looking to build on the four-time All-Star guard’s play by winning two in a row against the Toronto Tempo on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
After three games, Plum is leading the league in scoring at 26.3 points per game. She’s also averaging five assists while shooting 58% from the field, including 42.9% from 3-point range.
“Just trying to be really intentional on getting other people going,” Plum said, “and our spacing and things like that.”
The Sparks (1-2) are coming off a 99-95 home victory against Toronto (1-2) on Friday night. Plum and Toronto guard Brittney Sykes, who played for the Sparks from 2020-22, both scored a game-high 27 points. Plum, who scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, had nine assists. Skyes, who scored 14 points in the fourth, had seven assists.
The home team began the second half on a 12-0 run and led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. However, they gave up 57 total points in the second half and saw their once-massive advantage dwindle to two points late.
“The coaching in this league is good,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said, “and I’m sure that Toronto will have their adjustments. We’ll have our adjustments. We need to see where what was giving us trouble defensively. See what we can fix and go from there.”
The Sparks, who shot a scorching 63.8% from the field, shared the ball, recording a season-high 26 assists on 37 field goals.
“That’s the way we need to play,” Plum said.
The Sparks never trailed and prevailed with five other players joining Plum in scoring in double figures: Nneka Ogwumike (20), Dearica Hamby (19), Rae Burrell (13), Erica Wheeler (10) and Cameron Brink (10).
“You have to pick your poison,” Hamby said. “Especially on the back side. We also have three elite scorers.”
Toronto coach Sandy Brondello said she appreciated being able to play consecutive games against the Sparks, rather than traveling to the next city during her team’s stretch of playing six games in 11 days.
“I like staying in the same city,” Brondello said. “It’s like a playoff series.”
Sparks guard Ariel Atkins, who was acquired from the Chicago Sky in a trade for forward Rickea Jackson last month, was ruled out ahead of Sunday’s game due to concussion protocol. Wheeler, a 5-foot-7 veteran point guard, started in her place Friday and notched season-highs of 10 points and seven assists in 33 minutes. She shot 3 for 5 from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range.
Forward Sania Feagin, a second-year player from South Carolina, will also miss Sunday’s game with a left leg injury.
TORONTO (1-2) AT SPARKS (1-2)
When: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: Spectrum Sportsnet
Kelsey Plum on her game-highs 27 points and 9 assists in the Los Angeles Sparks’ first win of the season.
LA Sparks defeated the Toronto Tempo 99-95 at home. pic.twitter.com/ZkBdkyREDx
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 16, 2026
Sandy Brondello’s pregame media interview on former UCLA guard Kiki Rice playing her first road game against the LA Sparks. pic.twitter.com/EqO3vB2QMg
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 16, 2026
