Golden State Valkyries at Los Angeles Sparks

Carla Leite scores 19, Janelle Salaun adds 18 to help Valkyries beat Sparks 82-73

Salaun grabbed eight rebounds and Leite made 7 of 10 from the field. Veronica Burton added 12 points and five steals for the Valkyries (2-1).

Expansion Golden State, which beat Washington 76-74 on Wednesday, has won consecutive games for the first time franchise history.

Thornton made a floater with 6:43 to play that gave Golden State a 73-58 lead but the Valkyries went scoreless for the next five-plus minutes. Kelsey Plum hit a 3-pointer and Dearica Hamby scored the final five points in a 10-0 run before Thornton made three free throws with 1:33 remaining that made it 76-68.

Hamby led Los Angeles (1-3) with 25 points, Plum scored 16 and Odyssey Sims had 13.

The Sparks have lost three games in a row since beating Golden State 84-67 in the season opener.

Sims hit a 3-pointer that gave the Sparks a nine-point lead with 2:11 remaining in the first period. They missed their next 15 field-goal attempts and committed six turnovers as Golden State went on a 26-1 run that gave the Valkyries a 42-26 lead when Temi Fagbenle made a layup with 2:59 left until halftime.

Up next Valkyries visit New York on Tuesday, and Sparks host Chicago on Sunday.

Regular Season Series

GS wins series 3-1