Kelsey Plum appears ready to return to the Los Angeles Sparks‘ lineup.
Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts told reporters Thursday that Plum looked good in practice and hoped she could play.
Plum also said she expected to suit up for Friday’s game and hasn’t enjoyed watching the past three games from the bench.
“I hated it,” Plum told reporters, including the Los Angeles Times’ Marisa Ingemi. “I have been just rehabbing like a maniac, sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, red lighting my way back.”
The four-time WNBA All-Star has missed the past three games with a sprained ankle sustained during practice on May 26. However, she’s listed as probable on the injury report for Friday’s home matchup with the Dallas Wings.
In her ninth WNBA season, Plum, 31, currently leads the league in scoring at 26.8 points per game, averaging two points more than the next closest player, reigning MVP A’ja Wilson. She’s also averaging a career-high 6.3 assists and shooting 49% on 41 3-point attempts.
“She’s kind of the engine that makes everything go,” Roberts added. “We’ve sputtered a little bit offensively.”
The Sparks have gone 1-2 in Plum’s absence, losing two consecutive games including a season-low 69 points in a loss to the Aces on Tuesday. That has them at 4-5 going into Friday’s game, placing them sixth in the Western Conference and 11th in the playoff standings.
Dallas (6-3) is tied for the third-best record in the league, The Wings have won three consecutive games and five of their past six contests, including wins over the Aces and New York Liberty.
