LOS ANGELES -- After missing three games with a right ankle sprain, Kelsey Plum looked like herself again Friday night.
The Sparks guard returned to the lineup against the Dallas Wings and immediately reminded everyone what the team had been missing. Plum poured in 27 points and added six assists, helping Los Angeles produce one of its best offensive performances of the season, even in a 104-96 loss that marked the team's third straight loss.
While the final result was disappointing, Plum's impact was impossible to ignore.
"Yeah, I mean, you see how tough she is to guard," head coach Lynne Roberts said afterward. "They really struggle to keep her in front of them, and I think she was consciously trying to get other people involved, as well, especially in that first half. But she just brings a level of confidence to the whole group offensively. She's a competitor, and she makes us better."
That confidence was hard to ignore throughout the night.
Los Angeles had five players score in double figures and displayed the type of offensive balance Roberts has been searching for. The Sparks moved the ball effectively and looked far more comfortable with Plum orchestrating the attack, proving that Plum is the glue that holds this team together.
"The ball was moving. Balanced scoring, five players in double figures. That's how we want to play," Roberts said. "Dallas is a good team. I think in the last four minutes they kind of willed it to happen for them, and we didn't."
The game served as a reminder of just how valuable Plum has been during her second season with the Sparks. Even compared to last year, she is moving with swiftness on the court. Before the injury, she had helped fuel one of the strongest starts of her career, and her absence over the previous week highlighted how much responsibility she carries offensively.
Friday's loss may have extended Los Angeles' skid, but it also delivered some encouraging news. Plum's return gave the Sparks their offensive identity back.
The standings won't show it, but having their floor leader healthy again felt like a victory in itself.
And if Friday was any indication, the Sparks' chances of turning things around became much better the moment No. 10 stepped back onto the floor.