By becoming the second woman to dunk in a WNBA game - and repeating the feat one game later - Candace Parker has drawn plenty of attention to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Beyond the dunks, however, Parker and the Sparks have done more than enough this season to get noticed.

Western Conference-leading Los Angeles looks for its seventh win in eight games Thursday when it hosts the Washington Mystics.

The Sparks (10-3) avoided their first losing streak of the season Sunday, rebounding from a two-point defeat with a 77-63 win over Indiana. The victory included a rare moment for the league, as Parker joined teammate Lisa Leslie as the second player to dunk in a WNBA game.

The Sparks won by 14 again two days later, and Parker had 22 points, including another dunk. She added 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals to help Los Angeles to a 76-62 victory over Seattle.

"Candace is definitely improving every single game,'' said Leslie, tied with Parker for the league lead at 9.7 rebounds per game. "It has taken her a while to make the adjustment, but her work ethic is definitely improving day by day, and it's part of our responsibility to make sure she gets that in practice.''

Parker (17.2 points per game) and Leslie (16.2) lead the Sparks in scoring, but DeLisha Milton-Jones has proven to be an outstanding third option. Milton-Jones, who played the last three seasons in Washington after beginning her career in Los Angeles, was reacquired by the Sparks in late April.

She's averaging 14.4 points and had 19 on Tuesday.

Leslie had 17 points, Parker added 15 and Milton-Jones 12 in the Sparks' 70-59 win at Washington on May 31.

While the Sparks are the third-highest scoring team in the WNBA at 80.1 points per game, the Mystics (5-8) average 70.3, fewest in the league.

They averaged 67.7 points during a three-game winning streak from June 13-20, but allowed only 60.3 per game during that stretch.

Washington allowed nearly that many in a half Tuesday, giving up 58 points after the break and losing 98-90 to Phoenix.

"We gave the game away," coach Tree Rollins said. "We did not play one lick of defense. It just comes down to having heart and playing defense."

Taj McWilliams-Franklin had a career-high 31 points Tuesday, but Alana Beard, who came in averaging 19.7 points, was limited to 11 on 4-of-13 shooting.

Beard's worst shooting effort of the season came against the Sparks on May 31, as she went 3-of-13 from the field and scored a season-low nine points.

Los Angeles and Washington have split their two meetings in each of the last three seasons.