🚨 JUST IN: Azura Stevens’ ninth double-double and Julie Allemand’s flawless stat line fuel a season-shifting Sparks win packed with chaos, grit, and history ⚡.BT

On a night the Los Angeles Sparks desperately needed life, belief, and something—anything—to keep their playoff pulse beating, they got a thunderstorm instead. Six players scoring in double figures. A fourth-quarter eruption that felt like a movie script. A defensive swarm that swallowed lanes whole. And one point guard who basically decided losing was simply not happening on her watch.

It wasn’t just a win. It was a declaration.

Coach Lynne Roberts stood at the podium afterward, almost smiling in disbelief. The box score, she said, looked like it came from weeks ago — back when the Sparks’ offense was humming instead of sputtering. But tonight? Everything clicked. Everything synced. Everything felt alive again.

Except the start of the third quarter.
Coach didn’t hide that.

But what came after erased all doubt.

Julie Allemand Wrote Her Name Into Sparks Lore

If there was a sparkplug, a heartbeat, a straight-up force of will driving L.A. through every possession, it was Julie Allemand. Roberts could barely contain her admiration as she ran through the stat line:

8-for-8 from the field
3-for-3 from deep
Perfect at the free-throw line
Four assists
Five steals
Zero turnovers

The arena felt it. The bench felt it. The opponent felt it.

“Truly unbelievable,” Roberts said. “She willed us to this.”

And that wasn’t hyperbole. The Sparks didn’t just feed off Julie’s offense — they fed off her brain. Her defensive instincts are so sharp that coaches redesign matchups around her awareness. They placed her on the opposing non-shooter, freeing her to play roaming disruptor — and she feasted. Five steals doesn’t describe the impact. She basically rerouted possessions before they started.

Julie didn’t brag afterward. She never does.
“I’m just trying to read the game,” she said quietly. “Tonight I had more chances, so I took them.”

The kind of understatement that only players with insane nights can get away with.

Azura Stevens Turns Into a Double-Double Machine

If Julie was the brain of the operation, Azura Stevens was the anchor. Another double-double — her ninth of the season, compared to just four last year — and a steady presence on both ends.

But none of this happened by accident.

Azura broke down the offseason grind: staying stateside, committing to the weight room, using Unrivaled’s intense 3-on-3 style to sharpen her aggression.

“When you’re in 3-on-3, you can’t pass up shots,” she said. “It forced me to be assertive. It was perfect prep.”

The transformation is showing.
She no longer looks like a supplemental piece — she looks like a foundational one.

The Fourth Quarter: Ray Burrell Lights the Fuse

Then came the stretch that blew the game open.

Down the stretch, the Sparks ripped off a 16–0 run to start the fourth. The building shook, and it wasn’t from the music. It was from Ray Burrell detonating everything in sight.

Flying across the court. Crashing into sidelines. Diving onto the floor. Jumping passing lanes. Turning hustle into offense. Turning loose balls into sparks of momentum. Thirteen points in the fourth alone.

“She was everywhere,” Roberts said. “She’s like an Energizer Bunny — you don’t always know what’s going to happen, but it’s electric.”

Azura and Julie agreed: Ray’s chaos feeds everyone.
“She brought so much energy,” Azura said. “It fueled the offense.”

“When we play like that?” chimed Allemand. “We’re unstoppable.”

A Crowd Favorite Gets Her Moment

But the loudest moment of the night didn’t come from a steal or a three-pointer. It came when Alissa Pili checked in.

The crowd exploded.

Pili isn’t just a player — she’s a presence. A fan favorite everywhere she goes. And for Roberts, watching one of her longest-standing players hit the floor in a Sparks uniform was emotional.

“It’s rewarding,” Roberts said. “I’ve been through the fire with her.”

It’s not easy to earn minutes in the Sparks’ system — Roberts doesn’t sugarcoat that. But Pili’s moment was a reminder: the franchise is building something, slowly but surely, brick by brick.

Slumps Broken, Confidence Regained

Ray Burrell admitted she’d been in her head the past few games. Shots weren’t falling. Aggression dipped. Confidence wavered.

Tonight?
She let all that go.

“Even if I’m not making shots, being aggressive puts pressure on the defense,” she said. “That’s what the team needs from me.”

She didn’t just bring aggression — she brought fire.

And her teammates felt it.

A Rare Double-Digit Win — And What Comes Next

Most Sparks wins this season have come down to the final seconds — claws-out fights, heart palpitations, and cold sweats. Not this one. A double-digit victory this late in the season? It hits differently.

“It’s really nice,” Roberts admitted, exhaling. “We’re playing for our lives. But we can’t play with pressure — the pressure is on them.”

Them meaning Phoenix.
The Sparks’ next opponent.
A road game with playoff positioning hanging in the balance.

“We know what makes us good,” Roberts said. “We know what makes us not good. Now we lean into what works.”

And then Julie Allemand made history.
As one reporter pointed out:

No one in WNBA history — until tonight — had recorded 4 assists, 100% shooting, 5 steals, and 0 turnovers in a single game.

Not until July…
And not until Julie.

The Sparks are still fighting. Still swinging. Still chasing the postseason.
And nights like this? They make the belief feel real.