PHOENIX, AZ — Satou Sabally poured in 25 points and Alyssa Thomas added 19 to help the Phoenix Mercury edge past the Los Angeles Sparks 89-86 on Wednesday night in a tightly contested battle.
The Mercury looked to be cruising with a 14-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, but the Sparks mounted a late surge. Kelsey Plum hit a pair of free throws with just over two minutes remaining to bring Los Angeles within one, 78-77. However, Thomas responded decisively, scoring six straight points for Phoenix to fend off the comeback.
Plum refused to let the game slip away, scoring the final 11 points for the Sparks. Among those was the 500th three-pointer of her career and a jumper from the left wing with four seconds left. Unfortunately for L.A., her foot was on the line, and the shot only cut the deficit to one, 87-86.
With a second remaining, Sabally calmly knocked down two free throws to push the lead to three. Plum’s last-ditch heave from half-court fell well short, sealing the win for Phoenix.
Monique Akoa Makani chipped in 11 points for the Mercury (2-0), who capitalized on the Sparks’ 17 turnovers — including eight from Plum — to score 23 points off giveaways.
Plum led the Sparks (1-2) with 25 points in a full 40-minute effort. Azura Stevens was dominant on the boards with 17 rebounds to go along with 23 points, while Dearica Hamby contributed 15 points.
Los Angeles nearly erased a double-digit deficit in the final period, with Hamby scoring seven straight points. A layup from Odyssey Sims cut the margin to just three at 78-75 with three minutes to play, setting up the dramatic finish.
Up next: Phoenix heads to Seattle on Friday night, while Los Angeles returns home to face Golden State.
