Lynx spoil Kelsey Plum's home debut with victory over Sparks

Napheesa Collier scored 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting, and the Minnesota Lynx pulled away for an 89-75 win over the host Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday evening.

Alanna Smith finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting for Minnesota, which won its second straight road game to start the season. Courtney Williams posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, and Jessica Shepard added her own double-double off the bench with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Azura Stevens scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting to lead Los Angeles. Dearica Hamby scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Kelsey Plum finished with 18 points in her home debut with the Sparks.

Minnesota shot 47.9 percent (34 of 71) overall and 40 percent (10 of 25) from beyond the arc, compared with Los Angeles' clips of 40 percent (24 of 60) overall and 34.6 percent (9 of 26) from 3-point range.

The Lynx outscored the Sparks 43-30 in the second half to secure the victory.

Minnesota started the third quarter on a 9-2 run to pull ahead 55-47. That included a 3-pointer by Williams, a layup by Collier and back-to-back baskets by Bridget Carleton and Smith.

Natisha Hiedeman then made a pair of free throws to put the Lynx on top 70-62 in the final minute of the third quarter.

The Lynx held off the Sparks the rest of the way, outscoring them 19-13 during the fourth quarter.

Minnesota led 46-45 at the half, with Collier leading all scorers with 17 points at the break.

The Lynx jumped to a 30-25 lead at the end of the first quarter as Hiedeman drove for a floating jump shot with three seconds left to make it a five-point edge.

The Sparks outscored the Lynx 20-16 in the second quarter to cut the deficit to one. Los Angeles scored the final five points of the first half thanks to a 3-pointer by Plum and a jump shot by Hamby.

--Field Level Media