Kelsey Plum Doesn't Hold Back After Sparks' Season-Ending Loss: 'Playoffs Are A Standard'
Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks lost their 2025 season finale, 103-75, to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
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Cameron Brink exited midway through the second quarter due to a nose injury and didn't return.
Sparks' Cameron Brink Suffers Injury, Won't Return to 2025 Finale vs Aceshttps://t.co/wupGnNVoiv
— LA Sports Report (@LA_SportsReport) September 12, 2025
Plum, rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker and star forward Dearica Hamby each scored 15 points apiece for L.A., but the purple and gold's defense as a whole gave up a game-high 23 points and 19 rebounds to A'ja Wilson.
The Sparks entered the contest already eliminated from 2025 WNBA playoff contention, regardless of Thursday night's outcome against Wilson and the Aces.
The Seattle Storm clinched the final postseason spot on Tuesday after a win against the Golden State Valkyries, officially bumping the Sparks out of this year's playoff race.
Lynne Roberts and Kelsey Plum address the LA Sparks faithful following the season finale: pic.twitter.com/eBMr6bm5YL
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) September 12, 2025
Following Thursday night's loss, Plum spoke honestly in a postgame address to L.A.'s fans in attendance at Crypto.com Arena for the Sparks' season finale.
Read more: Sparks' Rickea Jackson Talks Mindset Playing Through Injury, Calls Out Opponents
"On behalf of my teammates and I, we just want to say thank you [all] so much," Plum said. "We're here to win and playoffs are a standard, and moving forward, just want to let you guys know that things are changing here ... [We] appreciate the support in the meantime.
"We were fourth in attendance this year ... I just appreciate, from the bottom of my heart, all you guys, hardworking people [showing] up," she added. "We'll be back."
The Sparks finish their 2025 campaign with a 21-23 record.
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Ben Geffner is an award-winning sports journalist and current student at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. A greater Los Angeles native now with countless years of extensive and dedicated experience — including beat reporting, writing, play-by-play broadcast, television anchoring, podcasting and video production — Ben remains eager to contribute as credentialed media covering the LA Sparks.
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