LOS ANGELES, July 5 (Ticker) -- Lisa Leslie and the Los Angeles Sparks took advantage of a quick start.

Leslie scored 11 of her 18 points in the first quarter as the Sparks posted a 74-62 victory over the Houston Comets.

Chamique Holdsclaw scored 19 points and Temeka Johnson added 11 for the Sparks, who jumped on the Comets from the outset en route to their second double-digit victory this season over their Western Conference rivals.

Leslie scored five points in a 15-0 surge that opened the contest. The star center made 5-of-7 shots in the period and finished 7-of-15 overall.

The Comets went scoreless for nearly four minutes, missed their first four shots and committed four of their 12 first-half turnovers during the opening drought.

Johnson scored nine points in the second quarter as the Sparks stretched the advantage to 40-25 at halftime. Los Angeles shot 53 percent (17-of-32) in the half.

Sancho Lyttle's layup with 8:33 remaining closed the deficit to 57-53. But Holdsclaw and Tamara Moore combined for all the scoring in an 8-0 burst that rebuilt the lead to double digits with under five minutes left.

Tina Thompson scored 13 points and Dawn Staley added 11 for Houston, which shot 33 percent (19-of-57) and committed 17 turnovers.

Next Games: On Friday, Los Angeles hosts Indiana and Houston plays at San Antonio.