PORTLAND, Or. -- It's been a heck of a weekend for the Sparks.
On late Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was dealt away after days of trade rumors. And then the Sparks got their "lunch pails" and "hard hats" on as Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said during pregame and went into Moda Center with a win over the Portland Fire, 106-101.
Amidst all the hot shooting between both teams was a knockdown defensive performance by the Sparks (11-17).
"I thought we did a great job of lasering in on our defensive strategy in the fourth quarter," Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said. "There were a couple of moments of frustration but we didn't necessarily abort the schemes. The schemes is what we knew would work and we stepped into it a little bit more. We were more intentional about how we were able to get back into position when match-ups were kind of challenged in on-ball actions.
"I thought we did a really good job of on-ball defense a little bit better in that fourth quarter," Ogwumike went on. "And then down the stretch, we understood that it was a possession-by-possession type of game so we wanted to make sure that everybody was also on the same page when it came to how we wanted to do our timeouts left, the resets, how much time was on the clock. And I think that we did a really good job of honing into end-of-game situations tonight."
The long skid is over and Roberts was definitely happy about that.
"Yeah, I'm really proud of that (win)," Roberts said. "That's what I said after the game in the locker room was we won that fourth quarter by five. And it came down to executing and hitting free throws and running what we're supposed to be running and then also executing defensively, knowing where we're supposed to be and what coverage."
They got big contributions from Jihyun Park, who had 12 points and four assists off the bench.
"Yeah, I thought she was the difference maker there in that third quarter," Roberts said. "She made some big plays, great passes, made the right reads. Whether it was passing it or shooting it on the offensive end, she just made the right read, knocked down two for three from three. I thought she was really good, efficient. And then just defensively, she was in the right spots. And she understands what we're trying to do and plays her tail off. So really proud of her. I thought her minutes ignited us there in the third."
Ogwumike added to that.
"You can tell that she's paying attention to everything that we're doing, whether it's impressed upon her or she's just observing," Ogwumike said. "And she has a good way of understanding what we need in the game. And today was one of those days that displayed just that. She's obviously a superstar. And just someone to have that level of humility. And I guess patience with herself and also with the process is a big reason why she was ready to step up today. I think she does an amazing job of just being ready when her name is called. And we're happy to have her. But it's also fun to be able to watch a player like that get better with each game."
As for Kelsey Plum?
"It's not the type of news that you're hoping for, but at the end of the day, we want everyone to feel good about where they're at," Ogwumike said. "And I had a good conversation with KP, so wish her all the best, really wish her great health. We know what she can do on the court. But I think we really just took it upon ourselves to be pros today and to play as focused as we could. At the end of the day, a game has to get played today. And it's something that you don't really want to get used to as a player, but unfortunately, you have to. You know, there's the business of it all. But then the business affects people that you have relationships with. So I think we just did a good job of wishing her well and also staying focused."
"Yeah, I think just staying steady emotionally," Hamby said, who is a close friend of Plum's going back to their days as teammates for the San Antonio Silver Stars and eventually, the Las Vegas Aces. "I think even like today specifically, people were probably looking at me and how I was going to respond. And I think just being able to be pretty grounded throughout everything is like a form of leadership."
Sparks tied a franchise record of made threes with 16. They also had 33 assists in that contest.
With the Sparks leading, 104-101, the Fire had a chance to tie with 19 seconds left. But Ariel Atkins was able to poke away the ball and it went off Bridget Carleton's knee. Erica Wheeler made both free throws to seal the deal.
"That one three that BC hit in the corner was remarkable," Roberts summarized. "But then they kind of ran a similar action and Atkins defended it perfectly. So I'm proud of that. That shows toughness."
Hamby (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Ogwumike (22 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles. Carleton also had a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) to lead the Fire. Carla Leite scored 21 points.
The trade deadline is done. The Sparks were able to stop this long losing streak. Monique Akoa Makani is on the way as well as a first round pick from the Mercury. It's a brand new day for the Sparks.
At least, until they face the Sky in Chicago on Wednesday in the first game of a deadly back-to-back on the road.