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LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Sparks’ 100-91 win against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, the team pushed their current win streak to two games. The Sparks have rebounded strong after a disappointing loss to the Las Vegas Aces last week. Against the Fever, it was Kelsey Plum and Rickea Jackson who put their mark on the game in leading the team to a win.
Following the Sparks’ win against the Fever, Rickea Jackson spoke about how much of an impact that Kelsey Plum has had on herself and on the team as a whole.
“KP is literally one of the most high IQ players I’ve ever played with. The way that she looks at the game, the things that she tells me within the game or even at practice, it has helped grow my game so much,” Jackson said. “But also the confidence she’s instilled in me. Each and every game, she’s coming up to me and she doesn’t know how much that means to me.”
“As our leader, at the end of the day you want to make her proud, you want to make a smile on her face and to get her going as well,” Jackson continued. “So being able to play with her, I feel like not only has it elevated my game, but the team as well. And I feel like it’s just only going to get better.”
The main core of this Sparks team with Jackson, Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby, Azurá Stevens and Rae Burrell were here last season. While the team added a few other players via the draft and free agency, Plum was the notable offseason acquisition and main newcomer. While it took a bit to get her acclimated to the team, Plum has seemingly settled in and found her place on the team.
Against the Fever, Kelsey Plum and Rickea Jackson combined for 50 points (25 points each) while shooting a combined 58.6 percent from the field. Plum dished out 11 assists while Jackson grabbed five rebounds and registered two assists of her own. The duo presented a formidable pair for the Fever defense to contend with.
As the Sparks continue to make a playoff push as one of the hottest teams in the WNBA post-All-Star break, Jackson’s All-Star caliber play has been a big reason why. As she mentioned, the defensive attention that Plum draws on a nightly basis has opened up the floor for Jackson to get easier scoring opportunities.
Through 23 games played, Jackson has been averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists with splits of 43.2 percent shooting from the field and 82 percent shooting from the free-throw line. But in the stretch immediately following the break, during which the Sparks have gone 5-1, Jackson has upped her scoring average to 18.0 points per game.
While Jackson has been on a hot streak offensively as of late, she gives a ton of credit to the team as a whole for her being able to get into an offensive rhythm.
“I just feel like as a group, we’re just playing together. I feel like we’re very dangerous and our momentum and our energy is really good right now,” Jackson said. “We just have that confidence in each other. If we get down, we’re not panicking anymore. . .we know what to do. We’ve been here before. We have the mental toughness to get over this hump or whatever that needs to be. . .as a group, I feel it’s a group thing and not just a ‘me’ thing.”
