Los Angeles Sparks beat Toronto 99-95

The Los Angeles Sparks beat the Toronto Tempo 99-95 on Friday, May 15, at Crypto.com Arena, ending an 0-2 start with a game that turned from a rout into a late hold-on. Kelsey Plum led Los Angeles, and the Sparks opened with the first 10 points of the night before Toronto cut a 20-point deficit to two in the fourth quarter. The WNBA’s official recap listed Plum with 25 points, while league-distributed highlights and other game coverage listed her with 27 points and nine assists. What did not change was the result: Los Angeles got its first win of the 2026 season. The game landed in the first full weekend of a season that is drawing large national audiences. ESPN said Dallas Wings-Indiana Fever on May 9 averaged 2.5 million viewers on ABC, making it the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks ever. That broader backdrop has put added attention on early-season results, including expansion Toronto’s first road trip and Los Angeles’ effort to settle a reworked roster. (wnba.com) ### How did Los Angeles take control so quickly? Los Angeles scored the first 10 points and led 21-2 before Toronto found any rhythm. The Sparks shot 11-for-18 in the first quarter and carried a 28-17 lead into the second. The Sparks’ interior offense set the tone. Los Angeles finished with 54 points in the paint and shot 37-for-58, or 63.8%, compared with Toronto’s 44.3% from the field. (espnpressroom.com) Dearica Hamby added 19 points, and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 on 8-for-11 shooting. ### Why did the game get tight again in the fourth quarter? (wnba.com) Toronto trailed 58-38 midway through the third quarter after Los Angeles opened the half on a 12-0 run. The Tempo kept coming, cutting the margin to 74-63 by the end of the third and then to 97-95 with 2:23 left in the fourth. Brittney Sykes scored 27 points for Toronto, and reserve Laura Juskaite added 16. (statsdmz.nba.com) The Tempo bench outscored the Sparks’ reserves 42-10, a swing that helped erase most of the early gap even though Toronto never led and the game had no ties after the opening tip. ### Which numbers mattered most down the stretch? Plum and Ogwumike scored the next six Los Angeles points after Toronto got within two, according to the official recap. (wnba.com) With the Tempo within three in the final minute, Plum made two free throws with 13.8 seconds left and Cameron Brink added two more with 8.9 seconds remaining. The box score showed Los Angeles survived despite 16 turnovers that led to 20 Toronto points. (wnba.com) The Sparks offset that with efficient finishing, a 24-22 rebounding edge on the glass, and a 54-30 advantage in paint scoring. ### What should readers make of the Plum scoring discrepancy? The WNBA’s official game recap published after the game said Plum scored 25 points. (wnba.com) League-distributed highlights on YouTube and other syndicated game items listed Plum with 27 points and nine assists. The official box score credits Plum with 10 made field goals, four 3-pointers and three free throws, which totals 27 points. (statsdmz.nba.com) The same box score lists her with nine assists in 32 minutes, making the PDF game book the clearest primary-source accounting of her line. ### What comes next for the Sparks and Tempo? (wnba.com) Sunday, May 17, is the next scheduled meeting between the teams in Los Angeles, according to the WNBA recap page. Toronto entered Friday’s game at 1-2 in its first season, while Los Angeles moved to 1-2 with the win. Friday’s broader WNBA slate also included Phoenix’s 91-83 win over Chicago. (statsdmz.nba.com) Chicago-area coverage said Rickea Jackson scored 29 points in that loss, another sign that opening-weekend storylines are spreading beyond the league’s national TV showcase games. (chicagotribune.com) (wnba.com)