Los Angeles hosts the Golden State Valkyries after Kelsey Plum scored 25 points in the Los Angeles Sparks' 89-86 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.

The Sparks dropped a tough game against the Mercury on the road, and Kelsey Plum took responsibility for the loss.

Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts spoke highly of the veteran star after the game. The coach praised Thomas for her leadership and effort that gave them the victory. Tibbetts revealed that the three-time WNBA sent a message to her teammates at halftime that fired them up.

LOS ANGELES — They’ve spent more than half a century together as bandmates, putting out dozens of records. But brothers Ron and Russell Mael — the duo behind the art-pop band Sparks — have no intention of retiring anytime soon.

The Sparks signed rookie Liatu King to a hardship contract as the team has endured several injuries to start the season.

The Los Angeles Sparks started the new WNBA season on Friday with an 84-67 win over the expansion Golden State Valkyries. However, they then lost on Sunday to the Minnesota Lynx, the defending Western Conference champions, by a final score of 89-75.

Coach Cheryl Reeve – who’s headed the Lynx since 2010 – said the Sparks got it right with Roberts, a modern-minded coach with an appreciation for three-points-is-more-than-two analytics, though perhaps not the natural shooting depth at her disposal to fit that notion.

The Minnesota Lynx roared to a 2-0 start with an 89-75 win over the Los Angeles Sparks Sunday night. It was their second straight role playing the spoiler to start the season, having marred Paige Bueckers' WNBA debut in the Dallas Wings' home opener on Friday and then doing the same to the Sparks in L.A.