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20080901/MINLAS
Lynx-Sparks Preview
By MIKE LIPKA, STATS Writer

The Los Angeles Sparks' run of eight straight playoff appearances ended last season, but they don't plan on waiting long to make their return to the postseason.

Los Angeles can take a huge step toward securing a spot on Monday night when it hosts the Minnesota Lynx, who begin a four-game road trip with their own playoff fate in the balance.

The Sparks finished 10-24 last year, but that was without longtime star Lisa Leslie, who missed the season to give birth to her first child.

With Leslie's return and the addition of standout rookie Candace Parker, Los Angeles has returned to its winning ways. The Sparks (17-12) emerged from the month-long Olympic break with a pair of impressive victories over postseason contenders, earning a 78-63 win over Sacramento on Thursday before beating San Antonio 58-53 on Saturday.

Leslie and Parker - the league's top two rebounders - had double-doubles against the Silver Stars, who shot just 32.1 percent from the field and were held to a season low for points.

"They believe in our defense and that's half the battle," Sparks coach Michael Cooper said of his players. "If they believe in it, they'll go out there and commit to it."

The Sparks now sit in third place in the Western Conference, with a two-game lead on fifth-place Minnesota. A win on Monday would reduce their magic number to clinch a postseason berth to three with four games remaining.

The Lynx (14-13) also finished 10-24 in 2007, and have qualified for the playoffs just twice in nine years, but they are one game behind Sacramento for the final playoff spot, tied in the loss column with the Monarchs.

"This is where people are writing us off. We understand that," Lynx coach Don Zierden said. "These young players have fought all year. I am just so proud of them. Last year at this time we were already looking at the draft, lotteries and all that type of stuff. Now, we are in the playoff mix."

With seven games left, Minnesota visits Phoenix and Seattle before playing at Sacramento on Sunday.

Behind 22 points off the bench from rookie Candice Wiggins, the Lynx returned from the Olympic break with a 92-78 win over Washington on Saturday.

Wiggins is second among rookies with 16.6 points per game, trailing only Parker, whose Tennessee team beat Wiggins' Stanford club in this year's national championship game.

Minnesota and Los Angeles have split two meetings this season, with each winning on the road. The Lynx won 88-70 at Staples Center on July 3 behind 29 points from Seimone Augustus.

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