Different day, same story. Just like most of the top WNBA teams, the Los Angeles Sparks in the same dilemma. On one odd day, they are making the cut and on the next day, they are out of the picture. And no one can see it better than the team forward Azurá Stevens.
While fans were hoping that Cameron Brink could save LA’s playoff dreams in the recent game, it only got serious. The Sparks are clinging to their playoff dreams by a thread, and they aren’t sugarcoating the challenge ahead. After a hard-fought 81-78 win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday, Stevens laid it bare as the Sparks’ postseason hopes hinge on focusing on every single possession.
Azurá Stevens Gets Candid On Sparks’ Playoff Contention
The Sparks are in the middle of nowhere. They can either go all above or join the Dallas Wings down the points table. Additionally, with an 18-20 record and just six games left, the team members are not shying away from the urgency of a team fighting to stay alive. Additionally, her teammate Dearica Hamby also shared her honest thoughts on keeping the Sparks’ playoff hope going.
“We know what’s at stake, we’re just trying to break it down to each possession matters. Not getting too caught up in, ‘oh we got to win X-amount of games.’ We know the circumstances, but all we can control is the next possession. Just take it day by day and really focusing on us. Our defense, our rebounding, our pace on offense, just really looking at us as a team and just taking it day by day,” Stevens said.
Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum were cookin' in the @LASparks' win against the Mystics 🤩
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 1, 2025
✔️ Hamby recorded her 11th double-double with 20 PTS & 12 REB
✔️ Plum scored 18 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST & 3 3PM
✔️ Plum logged 14 of the Sparks' 26 PTS in the 4Q#WelcometotheW
Postseason Push |… pic.twitter.com/LGwSEtCN3r
However, the Sparks’ victory over the Mystics kept their faint playoff pulse beating, leaving them two games behind the Golden State Valkyries for the eighth and final playoff spot. Stevens was a force, nearly notching a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds, plus four assists.
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Additionally, just two days earlier, she led the team with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in a tough 76-75 loss to the Indiana Fever. Her all-around game has been a bright spot in a season where the Sparks, under new coach Lynne Roberts, have battled inconsistency but shown flashes of brilliance.
Azurá Stevens Is Having An Impressive Season
Though it’s still too early to judge the Sparks’ elimination, although mere, but there’s a hope they could make the cut. That said, Stevens is having a career year, and it’s no fluke. Starting all 38 games, she’s averaging 13.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Her shooting splits are still shining as great. Despite a team slump, she’s shooting 50.5% from the field, 41.6% from three, and 77.8% from the free-throw line. Additionally, the Rhode Island native is a legit contender for the WNBA’s Most Improved Player Award, and Roberts has been singing her praises.
But the road ahead is brutal. The Sparks face a three-game road trip starting with the Seattle Storm on Monday, followed by back-to-back games against the playoff-bound Atlanta Dream. Dearica Hamby, who hinted at the win total needed for a playoff berth after the Fever loss, knows the math isn’t kind. With only four teams still in the hunt for the final playoff spots, every game is do-or-die.