LOS ANGELES — The Sparks are confident they know what it takes to win as they conclude their three-game homestand against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Sparks (3-7), coming off an 81-72 win against the Dallas Wings on Friday night, will play the Aces (5-3) for the second time this season. They are looking for redemption after an 89-82 loss in Las Vegas on May 18, in which All-Star forward Dearica Hamby finished with a season-high 29 points against her former team.
However, Aces All-Stars A’ja Wilson (22 points and 10 rebounds) and Jackie Young (22 points and 11 assists) had double-doubles to outlast the Sparks.
“We played Vegas really tough,” Hamby said. “It’s a personal game for me, but I think we can come out with a win.”
Hamby has developed into the Sparks’ go-to player. Through the first quarter of the regular season, she is fifth in the league in scoring (20.6 points) and second in the league in rebounding (11.6 rebounds).
“As we creep closer to the Olympic break, Dearica Hamby has to be an All-Star,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said.
The two-time All-Star and mother of two played all 40 games last season, less than two months after giving birth to her son Legend, when she could have taken paid maternity leave after being acquired by the Sparks via a controversial trade from the Aces in January 2023.
The Aces were subsequently penalized by the WNBA after Hamby’s workplace misconduct allegations, which included being stripped of the team’s 2025 first-round pick.
“I don’t take basketball for granted,” said Hamby, who helped the Aces win the 2022 WNBA title before being traded in the offseason while she was pregnant. “I don’t take life for granted, you just never know. And I feel like I try to do what I can to the best of my ability because basketball can be taken from you at any point in time, so I think my heart just translates to the floor.”
The two-time defending champion Aces (5-3) are led by Wilson, a two-time MVP who is leading the league in points (28.3) and rebounds (12.3).
Hamby and Wilson will inevitably be matched up, but the Aces also have All-Star guards Kelsey Plum (18.8 points and 4.9 assists) and Young (18.3 points, 7.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds) to round out their arsenal. Guard Kia Nurse is the only other Spark besides Hamby averaging double figures at 11 points per game.
Former Sparks point guard Chelsea Gray, who was a key part of their 2016 WNBA championship season, has not played for Las Vegas this season as she continues to recover from a lower leg injury.
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Sparks forward Azurá Stevens, who also has not played this season, will continue to be sidelined with a left arm injury she suffered while playing in China. Stevens is expected to be reevaluated in the coming weeks.
After Sunday’s game, the Sparks will begin a seven-game road trip against the Seattle Storm (Tuesday), Minnesota (Thursday), Atlanta (June 16) Connecticut (June 18), New York (June 20 and 22), and Phoenix (June 28).
LAS VEGAS (5-3) AT SPARKS (3-7)
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
