PHOENIX (Interstat) — Kelsey Plum scored 38 points and dished nine assists to lead the Los Angeles Sparks past the Las Vegas Aces 101-95 on Saturday at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Sparks improved to 3-3 while the Aces fell to 4-2 before a crowd of 10,386. Los Angeles shot 55.2% from the floor and 48.3% from 3-point range, while Las Vegas shot 44.7% and 34.5%, respectively. Plum made four 3-pointers and eight free throws. A’ja Wilson recorded 24 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for Las Vegas. NaLyssa Smith added 22 points and nine rebounds, and Chennedy Carter had 23 points. The Sparks trailed by six at halftime but outscored the Aces 26-21 in the third quarter and 29-22 in the fourth. Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink each scored 16 points, and Ariel Atkins had 11. Chelsea Gray contributed 12 points and seven assists for Las Vegas. Los Angeles forced 14 turnovers and collected eight steals.

PHOENIX (Interstat) — Kelsey Plum scored 38 points and dished out nine assists to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 101-95 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday night at Mortgage Matchup Center, avenging a 27-point loss to the Aces two weeks earlier. Plum, a 5-8 guard from Poway, California, played 37 minutes and shot 14 of 29 from the floor, including 6 of 11 from three-point range, and made all four of her free-throw attempts. She scored 10 points in the first quarter and added 10 more in the fourth as Los Angeles held off a late Las Vegas rally. The Sparks improved to 3-3 while the Aces dropped to 4-2. Los Angeles, which had lost three of its previous four games, including a 105-78 defeat at home to Las Vegas on May 10, controlled the game from the opening tip. Los Angeles opened with a 32-point first quarter, shooting 13 of 19 from the field and 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Plum scored 10 points in the period, including a pair of three-pointers. Cameron Brink contributed six points and four rebounds in the first quarter. The Sparks led 32-30 after one. The second quarter told a different story. Las Vegas outscored Los Angeles 22-14, fueled by Chennedy Carter’s eight points and NaLyssa Smith’s seven points off the bench. The Aces shot 8 of 16 from the floor while holding the Sparks to 6 of 15 shooting. Las Vegas took a 52-46 lead into halftime. The Sparks regained control in the third quarter. Los Angeles scored 26 points on 10 of 19 shooting, including 4 of 10 from three-point range. Plum scored 11 points in the period, including a three-pointer with four minutes remaining that pushed the lead to 72-68. Dearica Hamby added eight points in the quarter. Los Angeles led 72-73 entering the fourth, though the Aces held a one-point advantage, 73-72, at the end of three. The fourth quarter featured back-and-forth action. Los Angeles opened the period with a 9-2 run, capped by a three-pointer from Erica Wheeler that made it 81-75 with 9:04 remaining. Las Vegas answered with a 10-2 spurt, tying the game at 83-83 on a layup by NaLyssa Smith with 5:40 left. Plum responded with a step-back three-pointer to put Los Angeles ahead 86-83. A’ja Wilson hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 86-86 with 3:55 to play. Plum scored again on a driving layup, then Wheeler converted a three-pointer to make it 91-86 with 1:15 remaining. Las Vegas pulled within 93-90 on a floating jump shot by Carter with 2:04 left, but Plum made two free throws and Hamby added two more from the line in the final 30 seconds to seal the win. Plum’s performance was the standout of the night. She scored 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including 6 of 11 from three-point range. She also grabbed four rebounds and finished with nine assists, while committing four turnovers. Her plus-minus was plus-12 in 37 minutes. Brink finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. She shot 7 of 12 from the field and made two of five three-point attempts. Hamby added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes. Wheeler contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes. Ariel Atkins scored 11 points with three rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. Rae Burrell added 10 points off the bench. For Las Vegas, Wilson recorded 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 35 minutes. She shot 8 of 19 from the floor, made 1 of 5 three-pointers and converted 7 of 8 free throws. Smith scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 28 minutes, making 8 of 14 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws. Carter added 23 points, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes. Chelsea Gray scored 12 points with seven assists and two blocks in 37 minutes. The Aces outrebounded the Sparks 41-24, including 13 offensive rebounds to the Sparks’ four. But Las Vegas committed 17 turnovers to Los Angeles’s 14, and the Sparks scored 18 points off those turnovers. Los Angeles shot 55.2 percent from the field, 48.3 percent from three-point range and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line. Las Vegas shot 44.7 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three and 81.0 percent from the line. The game featured 10 lead changes and four ties. Los Angeles led for 28 minutes, Las Vegas for 12 minutes. The largest lead for the Sparks was 10 points, coming in the fourth quarter. The largest lead for the Aces was six points, early in the second quarter. The Sparks’ offensive rating of 115.9 points per 100 possessions outpace the Aces’ 109.2. Los Angeles recorded eight steals and forced 17 turnovers. Las Vegas blocked nine shots, led by Wilson’s four. Los Angeles returns to action Friday at Washington. Las Vegas plays Thursday at Dallas. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Las Vegas 95, Los Angeles 80. Interstat’s ELO system had given Las Vegas a 91.80 percent probability to win. The Aces were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 8.5. The total of 101 points went over the over-under line of 181.5.

WNBA: Sparks at Aces PHOENIX (Interstat) — The Los Angeles Sparks (1-3) face the Las Vegas Aces (4-1) on Saturday at Mortgage Matchup Center in a WNBA regular-season game that brings together two teams trending in opposite directions. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game is being played at a neutral site in Phoenix. The Aces have won four of their first five games, including a 105-78 rout of the Sparks on May 10 in Los Angeles. The Sparks, meanwhile, have dropped three of four, with their only win coming against Toronto on May 15. Sparks forward Dearica Hamby has been a consistent contributor early this season. She is averaging 17 points and 7.3 rebounds over her last four games. In the May 10 loss to Las Vegas, Hamby finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. She followed that with 16 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Indiana, then posted 19 points and seven rebounds in the win over Toronto, and closed with 21 points and nine rebounds in Sunday’s 106-96 loss to the Tempo. Aces guard Chelsea Gray has been a steady playmaker. In Sunday’s 85-84 win at Atlanta, Gray recorded 21 points, five rebounds and six assists. She had 12 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in a win at Connecticut on May 15, and 16 points, three rebounds and five assists in the May 10 victory over Los Angeles. Las Vegas center A’ja Wilson contributed 20 points and six rebounds in the win at Atlanta. Sparks guard Kelsey Plum scored a team-high 28 points in Sunday’s loss. An Interstat game simulator projects a 95-80 Las Vegas victory. The Sparks begin a three-game road trip after Saturday, visiting Washington on May 29 and Connecticut on May 30. Las Vegas travels to Dallas on May 28 before heading to Golden State on May 31.