INDIANAPOLIS – Azura Stevens scored 21 points and added 12 rebounds, Kelsey Plum added 20 points and the Los Angeles Sparks won at Indianapolis for the second time in nine days, defeating the Fever, minus Caitlin Clark, 89-87 on Saturday night.
Since dominating the fourth quarter en route to an 85-75 win, the Sparks had lost two straight. The Fever had won three, including the Commissioner’s Cup, without Clark. She missed her fifth consecutive game with a groin injury.
This game was close throughout. The Sparks’ biggest lead was three points in the first quarter, and the Fever went up by eight midway through the third.
Dearica Hamby scored 18 points for the Sparks (6-13) and Rickea Jackson added 15, including the go-ahead basket that made it 88-87 with 57.4 seconds left.
Indiana missed its last five shots, four in the final minute. Stevens rebounded a miss and was fouled, making a free throw with 3.3 seconds to go. The Fever used their reset timeout but Aliyah Boston missed a shot from the top of the key.
Boston led Indiana (9-9) with 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Natasha Howard had 21 points and nine rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell added 19 points. Howard surpassed 2,000 career rebounds and Mitchell, who reached 600 3-pointers with three, broke a tie with Fever assistant coach Briann January with her 251st game for the Fever, second behind Tamika Catchings.
Mitchell had 13 points and Plum 11 in an evenly played first half that featured nine ties and nine lead changes before Indiana went on top 45-42. Plum scored the last seven LA points of the third quarter for a 70-69 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Up next
Indiana is home against Golden State on Wednesday and the Sparks face Minnesota at home on Thursday.
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