Wed. Sep 18th, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

Sparks forward Azurá Stevens defends against Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum.
Sparks forward Azurá Stevens (23) defends against Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) during the first half on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

Azurá Stevens has hit her stride after returning to her natural power forward position because of the injuries. She’s entering the break with a five-game scoring streak of more than 10 points a game, giving the team a legitimate second scoring option after Ogwumike.

On Wednesday, Stevens had a season-high 22 points, her most since 2020, with 12 rebounds. Miller called it her best game in a Sparks uniform.

Stevens’ productivity in this position can help offset the absence of Chiney Ogwumike, who has missed five games with a foot injury, and take pressure off Dearica Hamby.

Hamby, who gave birth in March and planned to return just before the All-Star break, has already started 16 games, averaging 9.4 points with 6.2 rebounds in 25.6 minutes.

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