Mercury-Sparks Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Aug 12 2011 12:00PM

The Phoenix Mercury have appeared a little more driven while putting their recent struggles behind. They might not need any extra motivation for their next game.

Coming off their first back-to-back wins in nearly a month, the Mercury will face the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night for the first time since a contentious matchup in early July.

Phoenix had dropped five of six before an 85-80 win over Western Conference-leading Minnesota on Tuesday. The Mercury (13-9) followed that with a 109-95 victory against Atlanta on Thursday to wrap up their three-game homestand.

They hadn't won two in a row since a six-game winning streak July 1-15.

DeWanna Bonner scored a career-high 25 points in Thursday's game and Candice Dupree had a season-high 22. League scoring leader Diana Taurasi had 14 points in the second half to finish with 21, giving her a four-game streak of 20 or more.

"We have great scorers," Bonner said. "Anybody can go off on any given night. The pressure's not on one person."

Taurasi, averaging 20.9 points, and Dupree each scored 20 during the previous game against Los Angeles, a 101-82 home victory July 5. The Mercury rallied after a flagrant foul by Sparks guard Kristi Toliver - an elbow to Ketia Swanier's face that left her on the floor for several minutes with blood coming out of her eye - and a pair of ensuing technicals.

One of those technicals was to then-assistant coach Joe Bryant, who became head coach when the Sparks dismissed Jennifer Gillom five days later. Swanier missed five straight games with a swollen left eye.

After winning their first two games under Bryant, the Sparks (8-13) have dropped seven of nine and are four games behind Seattle for the West's final playoff berth.

Veteran guard Ticha Penicheiro helped Los Angeles snap a three-game skid with a 71-66 victory over league-worst Tulsa on Tuesday. She scored a season-high 23 points while starting in place of Toliver, who was out for personal reasons.

"We finally got that gorilla off our back," Penicheiro said. "It wasn't even a monkey at this point."

Toliver could return for Friday's game but star forward Candace Parker will likely be out once again.

Parker scored a game-high 22 points during the Sparks' last home game against Phoenix, a 98-84 win June 10. She tore the meniscus in her right knee a little more than two weeks later during a loss in New York.

Parker was initially expected to be out about six weeks but there's been no word on when she'll return. Los Angeles is 4-10 in her absence.

The Sparks lost their final two games against the Mercury in 2010 - both at home - while Parker recovered from left shoulder surgery.

Phoenix has won 11 of its last 15 games against Los Angeles, including two of three in the 2009 West finals.

Sparks edge Mercury in overtime

Posted Aug 13 2011 2:05AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles Sparks are on a winning streak just in time for star forward Candace Parker's return.

Rookie Jantel Lavender scored a season-high 25 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds as the Sparks defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 93-90, in overtime on Friday.

Noelle Quinn added a season-high 19 points as Los Angeles erased an early 16-point deficit and won back-to-back games for the first time since July 12-15.

The Sparks (9-13) moved three-and-half games behind Phoenix for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and could get Parker back on Tuesday. Parker, the 2008 MVP, is ``hopeful'' to return, a team spokesman said. Parker has been out since June 26 with a torn lateral meniscus in her right knee.

``It will definitely be big,'' Lavender said. ``Candace is a major part of this team. With her inside presence, her rebounding and what she contributes to this team, it will definitely help us a little bit more toward getting into playoff position. We just have to continue to grind it out like we did tonight.''

Penny Taylor led Phoenix with 29 points and Diana Taurasi added 21. Temeka Johnson had 12 assists, the most by a WNBA player this season.

But the Mercury (13-10) missed a chance to move into sole possession of second place in the Western Conference.

Tina Thompson scored the go-ahead basket to start overtime as the Sparks never trailed in the extra session. Lavender scored on a reverse layup and a bank shot in the first 91 seconds of overtime.

``That was huge,'' Lavender said. ``It's all about how you start overtime. Overtime is mental and what team wants it the most, and I think we showed that.''

Phoenix pulled to 89-88 on Taylor's three-pointer with a minute remaining and to 91-90 on Taylor's drive. The Mercury inbounded the ball with 4.8 seconds remaining but the ball was kicked out of bounds and the Sparks were awarded possession after a review.

The Mercury entered the game leading the WNBA with 91.4 points per game and 47 percent shooting from the field but were held to 80 points in regulation and 43.4 percent shooting.

L.A. outrebounded Phoenix, 41-29, including 15-9 on the offensive boards. ``L.A. did a great job of slowing down the game,'' Taylor said. ``They pounded it into Lavender. She was really dominant inside. I think she did a great job of (going through) the defense and finding open players.''

The Sparks tied it at 80 when Thompson rebounded Ticha Penicheiro's miss and scored underneath with 25.8 seconds remaining in regulation to cap a 15-6 run in the final seven minutes.

Taurasi missed a jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation, and Thompson missed a three-pointer as time expired.

Phoenix led from 6-5 and took leads of 23-7 and 25-9 in the first period. The Sparks pulled to two points down three times in the third and finally tied it at 62 on Lavender's basket inside.

``I think in months past we probably would have laid down and started looking at our hands, looking at the refs,'' Sparks coach Joe Bryant said. ``Now, we're digging down and saying, 'Hey, that's in the past. Let's just start playing defense.' We're going to start making some shots as the game went along. And we did.''

The Sparks tied it again 64 before Phoenix went on a 10-1 run capped by Taurasi's back-to-back three pointers with about six minutes remaining.

Taurasi recorded her fifth straight 20-point game, her longest such streak since September of 2008.

• Mercury: --
• Sparks: --

• Mercury: --
• Sparks: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #42 Roy Gulbeyan, #18 Kurt Walker, #27 Penny Davis
• Attendance: 10512
• Duration: 2:15