Saturday was a night for upsets and star performances. Plum's 38-point effort in Las Vegas was the performance of the night and arguably the performance of the season through the first few weeks, an efficient explosion that gave Los Angeles a win they were not supposed to get. Portland served notice that they should be taken seriously as a road team by dismantling Toronto in a game that was close at halftime and then was not. And Minnesota did what contenders do: handle a team they were supposed to beat without making it interesting.

Minnesota Lynx 85, Chicago Sky 75

This one was competitive for a while. Chicago led 22-24 after the first quarter, actually with a lead. Minnesota flipped it in the second with a 28-16 frame that put the Lynx ahead by eight at halftime, and although Chicago kept it interesting through three quarters, the Lynx never let them pull even. The final was 85-75, and the most important number in the box score was 18: second-chance points for Minnesota, against 10 for Chicago.

Natasha Howard was the engine for the Lynx, posting a 26-point, 14-rebound double-double on 11-of-15 shooting that included 13 second-chance points on 83.3 percent conversion from second-chance situations. She scored 18 points in the paint, grabbed five offensive boards, and was the most dominant interior presence on either team by a significant margin. Courtney Williams complemented her with 17 points on 8-of-18 shooting and three steals, and Kayla McBride gave Minnesota a clean 13-point, 6-rebound, 4-assist line on 44.4 percent shooting. Minnesota went 62.1 percent at the rim (18-of-29) and posted 42 points in the paint, a number that tells you where this game was won.

Chicago shot 31.5 percent from the field, their second-worst shooting performance of the week, and went just 20.7 percent from three (6-of-29). Kamilla Cardoso was brilliant in a losing effort, going 4-of-6 with a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line for 17 points on 85.3 percent true shooting, but the Sky needed their guards to make shots and they simply could not. Skylar Diggins led guards with 13 points but shot 33.3 percent. Chicago did draw 30 fouls and converted 76.7 percent from the line, which kept the deficit from being worse, but no amount of free throw shooting compensates for 31.5 percent from the field.

MIN 85 · CHI 75

Portland Fire 99, Toronto Tempo 80

Tied at 16 after one quarter, tied at 44 at halftime. Then Portland detonated a 22-17 third quarter to take a lead they never relinquished, and the fourth quarter was never in doubt. The Fire outscored Toronto 33-19 in the final frame and won going away, 99-80. The biggest lead was 23. For a Portland team that was supposed to be the underdog in this one, this was a statement.

The depth is what stands out most about Portland's performance. The Fire got 42 points off their bench, converting Toronto's 17 turnovers into 28 points and shooting 47.8 percent from three (11-of-23). No Portland player topped 20 points, but five players scored in double figures. Bridget Carleton shot 50 percent from three (4-of-8) for 15 points, and Emily Engstler bounced back emphatically from her rough game two days prior, going 5-of-8 with four blocks, two steals, 16 points, and six rebounds. Megan Gustafson came off the bench to shoot 75 percent from the field (6-of-8) with two made threes for 14 points and an 87.5 percent true shooting mark. Carla Leite contributed 15 points and nine assists against four turnovers, and Teja Oblak added nine assists of her own with just two turnovers. Portland finished with 24 assists on 35 made baskets. That is elite ball movement by any standard.

Toronto's night fell apart at the point guard position. Brittney Sykes, who dropped 31 in the May 19 win over Phoenix, committed seven turnovers against just five assists and finished at minus-23. That backslide from one of Toronto's primary creators was never recovered from. Kiki Rice was Toronto's lone bright spot, shooting 8-of-11 from the field for 19 points with a 74.5 percent true shooting mark and a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, but she could not carry the offense alone against a Portland defense that forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 28 points.

POR 99 · TOR 89

Los Angeles Sparks 101, Las Vegas Aces 95

Las Vegas led 30-28 after the first quarter and looked every bit like the favorite the odds suggested they were. Then Los Angeles flipped a switch. The Sparks took the second quarter 32-22 thanks to a perimeter explosion that the Aces had no answer for, and even when Las Vegas fought back in the third and fourth, they could never close the gap entirely. The Sparks finished with 14 made threes on 48.3 percent shooting from deep, going 55.2 percent from the field overall. On a night like that, you are going to beat anybody.

Kelsey Plum was otherworldly. She finished with 38 points on 12-of-17 shooting, hitting six of her seven three-point attempts and going a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Her true shooting percentage of 92.6 was not a misprint. She drew 10 fouls, dished nine assists against three turnovers, and posted an efficiency score of 49, the highest of any player across all three games on the Saturday slate. This was one of the great individual performances of the WNBA season so far. Cameron Brink added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds, though her six turnovers were a constant source of stress in a six-point game. Erica Wheeler came off the bench to shoot 4-of-7 with six assists, two steals, and a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in a quiet but critical reserve performance.

Las Vegas had plenty to hang their hat on in defeat. A'ja Wilson posted a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line with four blocks. NaLyssa Smith was outstanding, putting up 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and 12 second-chance points, converting 80 percent of her second-chance attempts. Chennedy Carter came off the bench for 23 points on an absurdly efficient 8-of-13 with four made threes and a 77.9 percent true shooting mark. Three Aces scored 20-plus, and they still lost, which tells you everything about what Plum did Friday night. Las Vegas's biggest problem was not who was scoring. It was that they had no answer for a Sparks perimeter that refused to cool down.

LAS 101 · LVA 95

Saturday was a night for upsets and star performances. Plum's 38-point effort in Las Vegas was the performance of the night and arguably the performance of the season through the first few weeks, an efficient explosion that gave Los Angeles a win they were not supposed to get. Portland served notice that they should be taken seriously as a road team by dismantling Toronto in a game that was close at halftime and then was not. And Minnesota did what contenders do: handle a team they were supposed to beat without making it interesting.

Star of the Night: Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks

38 points | 12-of-17 FG | 6-of-7 from three | 8-of-8 FT | 9 assists | 10 fouls drawn | True shooting 92.6%

There is no debate here. A 38-point, 9-assist road performance with a 92.6 percent true shooting mark against one of the best teams in the league is a historic individual effort by any standard. Plum was the reason the Sparks won, and she made it look easy.

Dud of the Night: Brittney Sykes, Toronto Tempo

10 points | 3-of-9 FG | 5 assists | 7 turnovers | minus-23

Sykes came into Saturday riding a 31-point performance on May 19 and had one of the worst turnover nights of any primary ball-handler this week. Seven turnovers against five assists in a game where Portland converted Toronto's mistakes into 28 points is the kind of night that costs a team a win. Toronto needed their starting guard to be a creator on Saturday. Instead, she was their biggest liability.