Satou Sabally Just Ruined the Los Angeles Sparks Night & Didn’t Break a Sweat

The LA Sparks Scored 33 in the Fourth and Still Lost. God Is Real!

The Los Angeles Sparks dropped 33 in the fourth quarter in their 89-86 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.

Thirty. Three.

And yet, somehow they ended up on the short end of the stick against the Phoenix Mercury. Apparently, the Mercury, summoned the ghost of mid-2000s Diana Taurasi to hold the fort.

This ending of this game was like watching the final act of Fast X — explosions, a few miracles, no real physics, and you’re not sure who survived.

But guess what?

None of it mattered because Satou Sabally decided to cosplay as a WNBA villain.

But even the spider is the villain of the fly’s story.

Sabally Snaps. Sparks Fade. Roll Credits.

The Mercury made sure they got a player like Sabally on their roster because they knew how good she is. A former first-team All-WNBA performer, Sabally was brought in Los Angeles to help them ease the transition of Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi era.

But on this night, with Kahleah Copper out – and Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Plum, and Dearica Hamby all on the floor – it was Sabally who stole the show.

The unicorn went off for a big 25 points. 12-of-15 from the line. 5 boards. 3 steals and a smirk that said “I buried you all.”

This was the Sabally game.

Sabally spent the third quarter absolutely cooking LA’s defense like it was a HelloFresh kit she didn’t even have to prep.

Meanwhile, the Sparks scored an abysmal seven points in that same quarter. Read that again: seven points.

That’s a rec league stat line. That’s the number a TikToker puts up at an open gym after banking in a three and getting fouled by a guy still wearing his FedEx name tag.

Mercury’s Bench Was 90s Sitcom Deep

Phoenix is deeper than a 3AM scroll through your ex’s IG stories.

Kalani Brown? Solid paint presence.

Kitija Laksa? Latvian Laser.

Sevgi Uzun? Sounds like a Bond villain, plays like a Swiss Army Knife.

They had five players with 5+ rebounds, and ran 11-deep like they were auditioning for a reboot of Ocean’s Eleven: WNBA Edition.

AZURÁ STEVENS WAS THAT GIRL

If there’s one reason Los Angeles nearly pulled off the comeback, it was because of Azurá Stevens.

The versatile forward put in a monster shift. Stevens was able to do amazing at rebounding, altering shots, and anchoring the Sparks when everything else felt like a meltdown.

“She was unbelievable tonight,” Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said. “She’s been so consistent and steady for us. I’m really proud of her… just a tremendous performance.”

Roberts, who is still installing her system in LA, knows there’s growth to come — but she’s already seeing key pieces click.

“This is a system where it plays to Z’s strengths… she’s a great shooter… with the space, it’s a great system for her,” Roberts said. “Defensively, her length — she’s a better defender than people talk about.”

SPARKS ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS — WITH PROMISE

The turnovers and third-quarter collapse were fatal. Still, the Sparks almost pulled it off.

That’s the duality.

“It came down to turnovers,” Roberts said. “We took some shots that led into not-great shots, and that turned into fast breaks the other way.”

She saw moments of growth too — from rookie Liatu King to the effort from Sarah Ashlee Barker, even if her jumper came with a side of chaos.

“I’m impressed with [Liatu],” Roberts said. “She’s just a competitor. She has the ability to create extra possessions for us… she did a tremendous job.”

Stevens also took notice on Barker: “She came out and gave it her all,” Stevens added. “She’s been showing that from day one… locked in… it’s been impressive to see.”

Roberts summed it up with clarity and accountability:

“We didn’t put a complete game together. I have to do a better job getting them better after halftime, and that’s on me… both teams — it was kind of a game of runs. I’m proud of our team for fighting back twice.”

In the End, the Sparks’ Comeback Was Just a Prank

Down 17 in the fourth, LA went full chaotic good — swarming the Mercury, drilling threes, and pushing pace like their jobs depended on it. Kelsey Plum caught fire, finishing with 25 points, 4 threes, and 6 assists and a look on her face like someone just parked in her reserved spot.

Still, she wasn’t satisfied.

“(Respectfully) No one cares about last year, I’m really present,” Plum said postgame. “I def let us down… I can’t come out and have a stretch when things don’t happen and we don’t make plays… I’ll get better next time.”

She was especially critical of her stretch in the third quarter, where the Sparks coughed up the lead.

“You said we had six TOs — I probably had four,” she said. “And bad shots, which are basically TOs. It’s a new system… it’s a fine line between ‘most aggressive player wins’ and not trying to do it yourself. It’s frustrating as a player… I’ll get better.”

The Sparks were down 17 in the fourth? It was no problem. Los Angeles made it a 1-point game with 20 seconds left.

And then? They managed to cough it up like a guy lying onThe Bachelor. 

This team is a drama machine. Rickea Jackson didn’t play. Sarah Ashlee Barker played like someone dared her to shoot a jumper. And yet…they almost pulled off the heist.

The LA Sparks are chaotic good. The Phoenix Mercury are fully cooked. Satou Sabally is the truth, and Kelsey Plum is in her “Revenge season” era.

Next time? Maybe don’t score seven in a whole quarter.