The Los Angeles Sparks, sitting at 14-25, pulled off a shocker Friday, taking down the Washington Mystics (24-16) with an 88-82 victory at Crypto.com Arena. Seriously, who saw that coming after the Mystics led for more than half the game?
Burrell’s Big Night Electrifies LA
Rae Burrell, who’s been making noise all season, absolutely delivered, starting for the Sparks and playing 29 minutes of pure hustle. Our Emerald City hoops fans know this name, right? She was ranked as a top 50 WNBA player this year, and you could see why against Washington. Burrell dropped 15 points on the Mystics, hitting 6-of-12 from the field, including a sweet 2-of-4 from downtown. She even added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, filling up the stat sheet. This wasn’t just a scoring night, it was a complete performance that got the job done for LA in front of 12,551 fans.
Mystics Let A 17-Point Lead Slip
Even with Washington leading for a whopping 54 percent of the contest and holding a 17-point lead at one point, it wasn’t enough. Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks’ comeback charge with a huge 24 points in 30 minutes, plus five assists, four boards, and four steals. Cameron Brink chipped in 13 points and led the Sparks with five rebounds. On the Mystics’ side, Sonia Citron tried to keep them afloat with 22 points, hitting 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. But their rebounding dominance (34-23 advantage over LA, with Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen each grabbing 10 boards) couldn’t close it out. You gotta wonder what happened to that 17-point lead!
This Sparks win shows they’re not backing down, even with their record. It’s a statement game, especially when you think about how they faced off against our very own Seattle Storm just a couple months ago. Remember June 10th, when Jordan Horston was battling the Sparks right here at Climate Pledge Arena? These Sparks are proving they can be a tough out, no matter who they play. Washington learned that the hard way.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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