Ogwumike's putback lifts Sparks over Dream

Aug 20, 2021, 05:57 am

LOS ANGELES -- — Nneka Ogwumike had a putback of a missed 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to help the Los Angeles Sparks edge the Atlanta Dream 66-64 on Thursday night.

Atlanta made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions — by Aari McDonald and Crystal Bradford — to tie it at 64 with 25.6 left.

Kristi Toliver dribbled down the clock and attempted a long 3-pointer that hit off the back and front of the rim. Ogwumike grabbed the rebound in traffic and ignored the inadvertent shot-clock buzzer to put it off the glass and in.

Ogwumike finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals for Los Angeles (9-13). Toliver and Amanda Zahui B. each added 10 points. Toliver passed Mwadi Mabika to become Los Angeles’ leader in made 3-pointers with 399.

Los Angeles led by 17 points in the second half, but went scoreless for four minutes in the fourth quarter as Atlanta pulled within 62-58.

Courtney Williams scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Atlanta (6-16). McDonald scored all 15 of her points in the second half.

On Tuesday, Toliver forced overtime with Atlanta on a last-second jumper and the Sparks pulled away for an 85-80 win.

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