On Tuesday Aug. 12, 2025, the Los Angeles Sparks played against the New York Liberty at Crypto.Com Arena. The Sparks were coming off of a hard-fought win against the Seattle Storm and had won nine of their past 11 games since the all-star break.
The Sparks and the Liberty most recently played each other in New York, and the Sparks clinched the dub, 101-99. Forward Cameron Brink played in her seventh game this season after rehabbing from a torn ACL. Brink played less than five minutes before getting subbed out with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter and didn’t return to the game. Head coach Lynne Roberts added, “She tweaked her ankle, she is still on a minutes restriction, so the decision was made not to put her back in.”
New York was without several players, most notably forward Breanna Stewart, who missed the trip due to a right knee injury.
“They’re still really, really good, and well-coached. Everyone in this league goes through times where you’re shorthanded but that doesn’t change your culture or who you are as a team,” Roberts shared. “They’re executing to win…They [only] have eight [players], but it’s a good eight.”
Although the Sparks played well in what was a very close match up until the fourth quarter, the Liberty flexed their championship pedigree at the end. The Liberty were consistent on both ends of the court and closed the game out with 14 three-pointers. The Sparks lacked the required defensive energy needed to get the win over a Liberty team that scored their season-high in points (105). The final score for the game was 105-97.
Throughout the game, Kelsey Plum was explosive, ending the game with 26 points and fighting for every bucket. Forward Dearica Hamby worked effectively with Plum, finishing the game 21 points, eight rebounds, four steals and one block. Hamby also entered the Sparks top ten in points scored in franchise history.
“[We plan to] just continue the momentum we’ve had the last 12 games. One game shouldn’t break us,” noted Hamby. “We did a lot of things well, and we didn’t play our best basketball, but we have really important games coming up that we should win, and [we’ll] go from there.”
The Sparks play again on Aug. 15, against the Dallas Wings on the road. The team is hoping to make a playoff push as they head into the latter stages of the regular season.
