WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (Ticker) -- Alana Beard helped slow down the Los Angeles Sparks' road show.

Beard scored 18 of her 29 points in the second half as the Washington Mystics extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with an 84-74 triumph over the Sparks.

DeLisha Milton-Jones added 18 points for the Mystics, who made all the big plays down the stretch to beat one of the league's hottest teams.

After Lisa Leslie made a jumper with 5:20 remaining to give the Sparks a 70-67 lead, the Mystics used a 17-4 run to close the contest.

Beard scored five points in the surge that was triggered by Milton-Jones and Nakia Sanford, who combined for the first eight points. A jumper by Milton-Jones with 3:41 remaining gave the Mystics the lead for good.

Beard made 11-of-17 shots and grabbed nine rebounds in 37 minutes. Milton-Jones was 8-of-14 from the floor.

Already having clinched a playoff spot and trying to catch Indiana for third place in the Eastern Conference, Washington (16-13) shot 53 percent (30-of-57) to overcome 18 turnovers.

Former Mystic Chamique Holdsclaw and Christi Thomas scored 12 points apiece to pace the Sparks, who fell to 4-2 on a season-high eight-game road trip.

Los Angeles (23-7), which lost for just the second time in its last 12 games, entered the night in first place in the West, 5½ games ahead of Sacramento. The Sparks fell percentage points behind Connecticut in the race for the league's best record.

Battling foul trouble, Leslie managed just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting in 25 minutes. The superstar had led team in scoring in six of its previous seven games.