LOS ANGELES — The Sparks wanted to get out and run against a potentially tired team.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 24 points, Rae Burrell scored 12 of her 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Sparks overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the visiting Washington Mystics, 88-82, on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Ogwumike, who has said she is retiring from the WNBA next month, scored 18 points in the first half, shot 11 for 16 from the field for the night (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and added five assists, four rebounds and four steals.
But it was Burrell’s strong finish that propelled the Sparks (14-25) across the finish line. They closed the game on a 16-6 run to beat the Mystics for the second time in three meetings this season and win for just the fourth time in the past 18 games overall.
Reserve forward Cameron Brink had 13 points and two blocked shots, and Monique Akoa Makani added 10 points off the bench for the Sparks (14-25), who turned 17 Washington turnovers into 31 points.
A young and fiery Mystics team ran away with the second quarter by a 28-17 margin to open a 51-40 lead by halftime.
The Sparks won the third quarter 25-17, pulling within 68-65 going into the fourth to set up their strong finish.
“Like I’ve said so many times, we want to win every time we play,” Coach Lynne Roberts said at Friday morning’s shootaround, which fell on her 51st birthday. “This is a chance to win a series against a good team. I get the sense that the group is really motivated. You just have to compete like hell.”
Playoff-bound Washington (24-16) was led by All-Star guard Sonia Citron, who scored 15 of her team-high 22 points in the first half. Center Shakira Austin finished with 19 points. Fellow All-Star and former USC and Harvard-Westlake star Kiki Iriafen scored 11 of her 12 points before halftime.
Washington, which had won 12 of its past 15 games, was playing the second night of a back-to-back set after a game in Phoenix on Thursday.
“Our organization has been so intentional and committed to player development,” Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said before the game.
The Sparks played hard early, and both teams shot over 60% from the field, going into the second quarter tied at 23-all. Ogwumike and Hamby combined for 15 points in the first quarter.
However, Washington began the second on a 9-2 run, establishing a 32-25 advantage with 6:08 left in the first half.
Iriafen’s driving layup made it 42-30 with 3:28 to go before halftime.
Ogwumike’s buzzer-beating layup cut it to 51-40 at halftime. She began the second half on a personal 4-0 run and cut it to 51-44 before Austin responded with her own 4-0 run to go back up 55-44.
However, the Sparks went on a 12-2 run, capped off by Aoka Makani’s three-point play, to cut it 57-56 with 5:08 in the third quarter.
Former UCLA star Lauren Betts’ three-point play gave Washington a 60-56 lead. Betts finished with six points.
A Brink 3-pointer cut the margin to 60-59, then Sparks rookie point guard Tonie Morgan’s layup put the Sparks ahead 61-60 with 1:22 left in the third, their first lead since the first quarter. The Sparks trailed 68-65 going into the fourth.
Guard Erica Wheeler’s 3-pointer tied the score at 70 early in the fourth, and Brink’s fast-break layup gave the hosts a 72-70 lead. A Citron jumper gave Washington a 76-72 lead with 6:16 left before Burrell had an assist and a pair of layups around a pair of turnovers for a 78-76 edge.
Burrell’s step-back 3-pointer made it a five-point margin with 2:54 left. After Brink blocked a short Austin shot, Burrell capped a 13-2 run with a layup for an 85-78 edge.
SUPPORTING HAMBY
Roberts said she’s been supporting All-Star forward Dearica Hamby this week after Hamby received a racist text message from an unknown number.
“It’s unnecessary,” Roberts said. “These pro athletes, if it’s NBA, WNBA, whatever, the stuff that they get is just ridiculous. It’s sad the state of our country that this is the norm but I’ve talked to D. She has good perspective on it, and I’m glad that there was some justice done, but she seems OK. She seems ready to go.”
PROMISING ROOKIE
Morgan played the seventh game of her young WNBA career on Friday, finishing with five points in 11 minutes.
Morgan, 22, was drafted out of Kentucky in the third round of the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky, but she was waived during training camp on May 3.
The 5-foot-9 guard waited patiently and trained for several weeks in South Florida, Atlanta and Kentucky until signing a developmental contract with the Sparks on July 17.
She practiced for several weeks before making her career debut on Aug. 11 and seemingly instantly upgraded to a standard contract before her second game on Aug. 15.
“It’s been fun,” Morgan said. “I’m not going to lie. I try not to play with fear, with uncertainty but I just try and go out there and play my game because that’s the way you play free then. You have more fun.”
Morgan, who is averaging 15 minutes per game, said her athletic style of play comes from playing against her older brothers, including “buss em up” football and pickup basketball, and from her parents investing in youth athletic training.
“I’ve been really impressed with Tonie,” Roberts explained. “She’s an unreal athlete and same thing with her, when she comes in, I say it every time at the table, don’t be afraid to make a play, bring pace, bring a different level of speed out there. She can puncture the paint every time, then the next layer is the decision-making of what to do once you do and so that’s the process with her.”
UP NEXT
The Sparks visit the last-place Seattle Storm (8-31) on Sunday. It will be the team’s final game before the WNBA pauses for the 2026 FIBA World Cup from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16. The Sparks will play their final four games of the season from Sept. 17-24.
Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said she wants to celebrate her birthday with a win against the Washington Mystics tonight.
Coach Roberts explains how the Sparks can season series vs. playoff-bound Mystics, who are playing the second of back-to-back road games. pic.twitter.com/zUT7LEiriN
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 28, 2026
Exclusive: Los Angeles Sparks rookie guard Tonie Morgan on staying ready, signing a development contract in the WNBA and then quickly earning a standard contract and significant playing time within weeks of joining the Sparks organization. #WNBA #LASparks #Kentucky pic.twitter.com/10Tkz543K3
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 28, 2026
Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts on Rae Burrell being a go-to perimeter scorer and analyzing Sonia Citron’s game before the Sparks vs. Mystics game at Crypto Arena on Friday, August 28, 2026. pic.twitter.com/YETLsEonfb
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 29, 2026