The Los Angeles Sparks opened their 2026 WNBA season at home Sunday afternoon, but the Las Vegas Aces had no interest in playing along. Behind a 62.3 percent shooting performance and a suffocating defensive effort, the Aces dominated from the opening tip and walked out of Crypto.com Arena with a 105-78 victory.
It was a difficult debut for the Sparks in what figures to be a transitional season, and Sunday offered a blunt reminder of how wide the gap remains between Los Angeles and the league’s elite.
Las Vegas Hit the Ground Running
The Aces wasted no time establishing the tone. Las Vegas outscored Los Angeles 29-14 in the first quarter, converting nearly 63 percent of their field goal attempts en route to a lead they never relinquished. The Sparks answered with a 27-13 second quarter to briefly make things interesting, but Vegas reasserted control with a 33-18 third quarter that put the game away.
Chennedy Carter set the tone off the bench, torching the Sparks for 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from inside the arc. Jackie Young added 20 points and dished out 9 assists against just 1 turnover, controlling the pace at both ends. Chelsea Gray chipped in 16 points and knocked down 4-of-5 from three, while A’ja Wilson contributed 19 points and 4 rebounds in an efficient outing. Las Vegas finished with 28 assists as a team, moving the ball at a rate the Sparks simply could not match.
Plum and Ogwumike Give the Sparks Something to Build On
In an otherwise rough afternoon for Los Angeles, Kelsey Plum and Nneka Ogwumike provided the brightest moments. Plum led the Sparks with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-8 from deep, and showed why she remains one of the most difficult guards to contain in the league. Ogwumike delivered a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting, doing the heavy lifting in the paint while adding three from behind the arc.
Together, the duo accounted for 46 of the team’s 78 points. The rest of the roster combined for just 32, a production gap that will need to close if the Sparks want to be competitive as the season progresses.
The Paint Told the Whole Story
The most glaring number from Sunday’s loss was in the paint. Las Vegas scored 62 points in the painted area compared to just 40 for Los Angeles. The Aces also converted at an 87 percent clip on shots at the rim, making it feel like an afternoon of layup drills against a defense that had no answers at the point of attack.
The Sparks also turned the ball over 19 times, surrendering 26 points off turnovers. Los Angeles struggled to generate much off the break, managing just 5 fast break points while Vegas doubled that total with 9. Cameron Brink had a particularly difficult afternoon, finishing without a point and committing 3 turnovers in limited time.
Up Next
The Sparks return to Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, May 13, to host the Indiana Fever at 7:30 p.m PST. It is a bounce-back opportunity against a team the Sparks are projected to be competitive with, and an early chance to set a different tone for what they hope will be a more encouraging stretch of home games.