The Los Angeles Sparks begin their Commissioner's Cup journey with a 69-79 loss against the Las Vegas Aces, a shameful offensive display that head coach Lynne Roberts took full blame for despite a big name missing.

Roberts believed the team had a good plan in the defense and executed that well by holding the reigning champions to just 79 points, but could not execute on the offensive end as much as she thought it was possible.

“This is the W, you’re gonna have people out, and therefore you’ve got to execute and be on the same page with everybody. Ultimately, that’s my responsibility and my fault.” Roberts said.

"I thought we did a good job (defensively). We followed the game plan, we had a great scout and we executed that. We just didn't execute on the offensive end. But holding Vegas to 79 at home, we've got to win, right? We've got to be better offensively." Roberts added.

Rae Burrell led the Sparks with a career-high 22 points on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting. However, she came off the court limping as the game drew to a close, which adds another concern in the Sparks' offense.

Meanwhile, Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. But as mentioned, it was an awful shooting night for the Sparks as they shot .308 from the field compared to the Aces' .449.

It was quite evident from the start that the Sparks missed the talents of star player Kelsey Plum, who was sidelined with an injury against the Aces. Plum is the team's main scorer, and a great one at that.

Thankfully, Roberts had encouraging news surrounding Plum's injury before the contest against the Aces, revealing that it is not too serious.

Kelsey Plum Avoids the Worst-Case Scenario In Injury Scare

Kelsey Plum was officially diagnosed with an ankle sprain, an injury she initially suffered during Sparks’ practice last Tuesday. 

Prior to the game against the Aces, Roberts acknowledged that Plum's recovery will be considered on a day-to-day basis and that she has made a considerable amount of progress at home.

“Just like anything KP does, whether it’s having breakfast or after a sprained ankle or playing a game, she attacks it with the utmost of her ability. And she’s done the same with this injury,” Roberts said.

“We were on the road and rumor has it she practically lived at the facility and she’s doing well … she’s day-to-day," She added.

Roberts also mentioned that she currently does not know when Plum will return to the hardwood until and unless she is given some sort of green light.

Before the injury, Plum was having an MVP-caliber season, leading the WNBA with 26.8 points per game, including almost 49% from outside the arc and having a career-high 6.3 assists per game.

The Sparks' next game is against a dominant Dallas Wings on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see how well Plum recovers till then.

What do you think, will Kelsey Plum get back to the court sooner rather than later to help the Los Angeles Sparks' quest to qualify for the playoffs?

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy