LA Sparks vs Golden State Valkyries game player stats and box score for May 23 | 2025 WNBA season

The Golden State Valkyries defeated the LA Sparks 82-73 on Friday at Crypto.com Arena in LA.

Carla Leite led Golden State with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting (2-for-2 from 3-point range) off the bench. Janelle Salaun finished with 18 points and eight rebounds on 5-for-11 shooting, including 4-for-8 from the 3-point line.

Kayla Thornton had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Veronica Burton added 12 points and five steals.

Dearica Hamby led LA with 25 points and six rebounds on 9-for-16 shooting (2-for-4 from downtown). Kelsey Plum finished with 16 points and four steals on 6-for-18 shooting, while Odyssey Sims added 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.

The game is a rematch of the opening night, wherein the Sparks had an 84-67 victory on May 16 at Chase Center in San Francisco. LA (1-3) has lost three games since. The Sparks return to action on Sunday against the visiting Chicago Sky.

On the other hand, after losing the season opener, Golden State (2-1) won two straight games. They had a 76-74 victory against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday. The Valkyries' next game will be against the defending champion New York Liberty on Tuesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

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LA Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries player stats and box score

LA Sparks

Player	PTS	REB	AST	PF	STL	TO	BLK	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Sarah Ashlee Barker	7	4	4	4	2	2	0	2-7	1-4	2-2	0
Dearica Hamby	25	6	2	3	1	4	3	9-16	2-4	5-9	-11
Azurá Stevens	6	10	3	2	0	1	0	1-3	0-0	4-4	7
Kelsey Plum	16	1	3	4	4	3	0	6-18	2-10	2-2	-1
Odyssey Sims	13	2	3	2	0	1	0	4-13	3-6	2-3	-11
Liatu King	0	2	1	0	1	2	0	0-1	0-0	0-0	-9
Julie Allemand	3	2	2	1	0	3	0	1-2	1-2	0-0	-6
Mercedes Russell	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	0-1	0-0	1-2	-7
Emma Cannon	2	2	1	1	1	0	1	1-1	0-0	0-0	-7
Sania Feagin	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Cameron Brink	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rae Burrell	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rickea Jackson	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Golden State Valkyries

Player	PTS	REB	AST	PF	STL	TO	BLK	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Janelle Salaün	18	8	1	1	2	2	1	5-11	4-8	4-4	-2
Kayla Thornton	14	10	1	2	4	5	1	4-15	1-9	5-5	1
Temi Fágbénlé	8	6	3	4	0	2	1	4-6	0-1	0-0	-6
Julie Vanloo	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	0-4	0-4	0-0	-16
Veronica Burton	12	2	3	4	5	2	0	3-8	0-2	6-6	8
Carla Leite	19	2	3	0	1	1	0	7-10	2-2	3-4	17
Kyara Linskens	2	3	1	3	0	0	1	1-3	0-0	0-0	15
Stephanie Talbot	3	2	1	0	1	1	0	1-3	0-1	1-2	19
Kate Martin	6	1	0	0	0	1	0	2-5	2-2	0-0	9
Monique Billings	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tiffany Hayes	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Cecilia Zandalasini	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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LA Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries game summary

At the end of the first quarter, the LA Sparks had a 26-24 lead over the Golden State Valkyries. Dearica Hamby and Odyssey Sims had nine points apiece for the Sparks, while Kayla Thornton and Janelle Salaun scored seven each for the Valkyries.

Golden State outscored LA 25-9 in the second quarter to take a 49-35 lead into the halftime break. Salaun led the Valkyries with 13 points and six rebounds in the first half. Carla Leite added 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting off the bench.

Kelsey Plum, Hamby and Sims each scored 11 points for LA. Azura Stevens (two points) is the only other Sparks player who scored in the first half.

The Valkyries increased their advantage to 20 (68-48) in the third quarter and led 68-53 heading into the final period. LA cut the lead to five (73-68) with under three minutes remaining. However, Golden State held on for the win and avenged its opening night defeat.