Sparks vs. Mystics: Rae Burrell Scores 12 in the Fourth as Los Angeles Rallies Past Washington 88-82

For most of Friday night, the Washington Mystics looked like a team that had solved the problem of playing on no rest. Then Rae Burrell decided the fourth quarter was hers, and the problem came roaring back.

Burrell scored 12 of her 15 points in the final period, Nneka Ogwumike led all scorers with 24, and the Los Angeles Sparks used a late 13-2 run to beat the Mystics 88-82 at crypto.com Arena. Cameron Brink added 13 points and two blocks off the bench, and Monique Akoa Makani scored 10 as Los Angeles turned 17 Washington turnovers into 31 points.

Sonia Citron poured in 22 points with four 3-pointers for Washington, and Shakira Austin had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kiki Iriafen notched her 20th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards. But the Mystics, who had beaten Phoenix on Thursday and were on the second night of a back-to-back for the first time this season, per the AP, could not hold a lead they had owned for most of the evening.

Washington Builds It, Los Angeles Chips Away

The first half belonged to the visitors. After a 23-23 first quarter, the Mystics dropped 28 points on the Sparks in the second, stretched their lead as far as 17 before the break and went into halftime up 51-40.

Los Angeles flipped the script coming out of the locker room. The Sparks opened the third quarter by outscoring Washington 16-6 to pull within 57-56, and from there it turned into a back-and-forth fight. By the final horn, the lead had changed hands 12 times. Washington still carried a 68-65 edge into the fourth and was up 76-72 with 5:53 to play.

That is when the floor tilted. Los Angeles scored eight straight, with Burrell finishing at the rim and Brink converting an Akoa Makani feed for the last two baskets, to go up 80-76. Lauren Betts answered with a layup, but Burrell buried a step-back 3 with 2:54 left. On the next trip, Brink blocked a shot at the other end, and Burrell ran out for a layup that made it 85-78. Citron's pull-up jumper kept Washington breathing, but Burrell went 1 of 2 at the line and then drove for a layup off an Ogwumike assist to make it 88-80 with 1:42 left. Austin's late layup only set the final score.

Burrell's Closing Act, Ogwumike's Steady Hand

Burrell's numbers for the night (15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 2 of 4 from deep) look solid but unspectacular. The context is what makes them sing. She scored 10 points in the final 4:50 alone, getting to the rim, stepping back for the dagger 3 and finishing in transition. When Los Angeles needed somebody to take the game, she did not wait to be asked.

Ogwumike was the reason the Sparks were close enough for Burrell's flurry to matter. She made 11 of 16 shots, including 2 of 3 from deep, and added five assists and four steals without committing a single foul in 30 minutes. That is a remarkably clean night against a Washington team that got 10-rebound games from both Austin and Iriafen.

Brink gave Los Angeles real minutes off the bench, scoring 13 on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds and those two blocks, one of which set up Burrell's run-out. Akoa Makani was quietly the most impactful player on the floor by plus-minus, finishing plus-14 with 10 points, four assists and two blocks. Erica Wheeler handed out eight assists, Dearica Hamby scored nine on 4-of-6 shooting, and Ariel Atkins chipped in three steals despite carrying five fouls.

For Washington, Citron was terrific, hitting 9 of 18 shots and adding four assists and three steals. Austin made 8 of 13 from the field. Michaela Onyenwere did not make a shot from the floor but went 6 of 6 at the line. Georgia Amoore, a night removed from a career-high 25 points, finished with nine on 3-of-8 shooting, all of her makes coming from beyond the arc.

The Turning Point: The Step-Back and the Run-Out

Burrell's 3-pointer with 2:54 left turned a one-possession game into a two-possession game. The next 33 seconds turned it into a statement. Brink's block, the outlet and Burrell's layup flipped a fragile 83-78 lead into 85-78, and Washington never got closer than five the rest of the way. Two possessions, five points, one stop. That is how a close game becomes a win.

Stats That Matter

• 17 turnovers, 31 points: Washington's giveaways accounted for more than a third of the Sparks' scoring. Los Angeles committed 10 and gave up 13 points off them.
• 50-34 in the paint: The Sparks lived inside all night.
• 28 assists on 36 baskets: Los Angeles shot 56 percent with the ball moving.
• 34-23 on the glass, still a loss: Washington won the rebounding battle by 11 and the 3-point battle was even at 8 apiece, which puts the turnover gap in sharp relief.

What It Means

Los Angeles improves to 14-25 (7-13 at home) and takes the season series from Washington 2-1. The Sparks won 92-87 in Washington on May 29, and the Mystics evened it with an 80-70 home win on Aug. 15 before Friday's rematch.

Washington falls to 24-16 (11-9 on the road). Per the AP, the Mystics had won three straight on the road, and a recount of their schedule shows those were their last three games overall: at Portland on Aug. 23 and at Phoenix on Aug. 25 and Aug. 27. Washington now heads into the FIBA World Cup break and returns Sept. 17 at Chicago, while the Sparks visit Seattle on Sunday.

A Hollywood Third Act

Los Angeles is a city that runs on third-act twists, and Burrell delivered one straight out of a studio pitch meeting: the supporting character who spends most of the movie in the background, then grabs the final 10 minutes and walks away with the whole thing. Washington had the better first half, the better rebounding and the better start. The Sparks had the better ending, and in this town, the ending is all anyone remembers.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Double-double, back-to-back and streak notes as reported by the Associated Press and recounted from 2026 results.