Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby combined for 46 points as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Toronto Tempo 99-95 on Friday, with the pair calling their pick-and-roll chemistry “pick your poison.”
When the Los Angeles Sparks opened the season with a three-game losing streak hanging over them. they refused to let it grow.. In their Friday matchup against the Toronto Tempo. they got exactly the kind of offensive jolt they needed—winning 99-95 behind a combined 46 points from Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby.
Plum and Hamby have been teammates for eight seasons, tracing their chemistry back to their time together with the Las Vegas Aces. That connection showed up again in Los Angeles’ offense, especially in the pick-and-roll rhythm where Plum handles the ball and Hamby attacks behind it.
After the win, Hamby leaned into the idea of a defense facing difficult choices.. “I think it’s pick your poison, and especially on the backside.. We also have three elite scorers so we kind of emphasized that it may not be there as much this year. but we’re going to get it on the reverse side. reverse side. so keep playing through it. ” Hamby said during her postgame press conference.. “Obviously our chemistry is our chemistry, I know her probably better than anybody.”
The Sparks built a double-digit lead in the first half, including an early 21-2 burst in the first quarter.. Toronto stayed within striking distance. though. and the Tempo’s adjustments showed—especially as they targeted the Plum-Hamby pick and roll and made it harder for Hamby to operate in the paint.
Plum said the two-player game could still create plenty of opportunities, even as defenses try to flood the lane.. “I think that especially in the first half, we kind of had it going.. I thought they did a good job on her [Dearica] in the second half of trying to make sure that they were flooding the paint.. And we got more threes, so that’s what happens,” Plum said after the game.. “Dearica’s an All-Star player and we’re gonna be able to connect.. Throughout the game, the defense has changed, you just got to make the right play.. That’s what playing on a great team is.”
Plum finished with a team-high 27 points, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter as the Sparks held off a late Tempo rally. She also added nine assists and three steals while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
Hamby was the team’s third leading scorer with 19 points, trailing Nneka Ogwumike’s 20. She contributed seven rebounds and four assists, going 8-of-10 from the field and perfect at the free-throw line, hitting 3-of-3.
For the Sparks. the “pick your poison” approach isn’t just a slogan—it’s become a nightly headache as they’ve added more scoring options in the offseason.. But over the past couple of seasons. Hamby and Plum have been the Sparks’ only All-Stars. with Hamby earning the honor in 2024 and Plum following in 2025.
With Toronto unable to fully shut down the Plum-Hamby connection and Los Angeles finding ways to score even as the look changed, the Sparks walked away with a 99-95 win—and a reminder that when it comes to their offense, opposing defenses will keep having to choose their poison.
Los Angeles Sparks Toronto Tempo Kelsey Plum Dearica Hamby WNBA 99-95