Fever-Sparks Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Aug 17 2011 1:17PM

Candace Parker lost her cool in her first game back since missing nearly two months with a knee injury.

She'll likely need to stay more composed if the Los Angeles Sparks hope to climb their way back into the Western Conference playoff race.

The Sparks conclude a six-game homestand Thursday night against the East-leading Indiana Fever, who look for a fourth straight win.

Parker had 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench Tuesday in her first action since tearing the lateral meniscus in her right knee June 26, but she was ejected with three-tenths of a second left during an 84-79 loss to Atlanta. The 2008 WNBA MVP was thrown out for arguing a non-call during a scramble for a loose ball on the Sparks' final possession.

"I shouldn't have acted like that. I apologized to my team. I apologize to the fans," she said. "It was the heat of the moment. I thought a call should have gone a certain way. It didn't, and I lost control."

Forward DeLisha Milton-Jones scored 19 to move into 10th place on the WNBA all-time scoring list with 4,735 points, but her efforts weren't enough to prevent the Sparks (9-14) from suffering their eighth loss in 11 games. Los Angeles is three games behind Seattle for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Sparks could be hard-pressed to continue their quest for a postseason berth against surging Indiana (18-7). The Fever, tied for first in the league with an average of 71.9 points allowed, have held opponents to 66.4 per game during an 8-1 run.

Indiana won 65-63 in San Antonio on Tuesday behind a 26-point effort from Tamika Catchings. The nine-time All-Star, who ranks 12th in the league with 15.4 points per game, has averaged 26.3 on 57.5 percent shooting during the three-game winning streak.

"I think what she's done is she's attacking the basket more, she's pacing herself a little more," coach Lin Dunn said. "I think she has a tremendous will to win."

While Catchings scored a season-low four points on 1-of-7 shooting against the Sparks on July 31, the Fever recorded their most lopsided victory of the season, 98-63.

"Defensively, they took us out of everything," Sparks coach Joe Bryant said after that loss. "We couldn't make shots. They went down and scored."

Parker missed last month's meeting, and she's averaging 26.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in her last three games versus Indiana. Her individual success, however, hasn't translated into many wins - Los Angeles has dropped three straight and four of five to the Fever.

Indiana, which holds a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Connecticut in the East, owns the conference's best road record at 7-5. The Fever sit one-half game behind Minnesota for the league's top spot.

Hoffman helps Sparks beat Fever

Posted Aug 19 2011 2:10AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Rather than being upset that Candace Parker's return to the starting lineup came at her expense, Ebony Hoffman is embracing it.

Hoffman scored 21 points against her former team to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 75-70 on Thursday night.

Parker, appearing in her second game since missing six weeks with a knee injury, added 18 points and Los Angeles (10-14) held Indiana (18-8) to four points over the final 4:57.

``We all knew Candace was coming back, and she was going to be back in the starting lineup,'' Hoffman said. ``It doesn't change my role any. I'm still going to be aggressive, I still gotta score points.''

Parker returned to her accustomed starting role after playing 26 minutes off the bench on Tuesday before being ejected in the closing seconds of an 84-79 loss to Atlanta.

Parker was on the floor for all but 30 seconds against Indiana. She said she didn't expect to play the full game and felt fatigued at times. Most importantly, though, she's had no setbacks with her rehabilitated right knee.

``I feel confident in my knee,'' Parker said. ``I don't think I'm hesitant in doing anything or think twice about doing something I wouldn't have done before.''

Tamika Catchings and Erin Phillips each had 16 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Fever, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

The Fever led by as many as 12 points and were up by four in the fourth. But they went scoreless for 3:42 and were outscored 13-4 to close the game.

``We stalled down the stretch,'' Phillips said. ``We missed some shots we usually make.''

After Noelle Quinn's layup put the Sparks ahead, Katie Douglas made a 3-pointer and layup for the 66-62 lead with 4:57 remaining. Quinn answered by hitting a 3-pointer and Parker drew the foul while making a layup. Her free throw gave the Sparks a 68-66 lead with 3:13 to go.

The Fever snapped a nearly 4-minute scoring drought when Douglas' two free throws with 20.6 seconds left cut it to 70-68.

Indiana fouled Parker on the inbounds and she spilt the free throws for a three-point cushion. Catchings missed a layup and, after another intentional foul, Hoffman made two free throws.

Hoffman, who had started the previous 16 games in place of Parker, spent her first seven seasons with Indiana, where she ranks second in franchise history in rebounding. The Los Angeles native came off the bench and made her imprint, scoring 15 points on three 3-pointers in the first half.

She was more than happy to have a strong showing against her friends.

``I'm not going to lie, it's great. But it's not my only motivation to have a great game against them,'' Hoffman said. ``There was no love loss. Indy wanted me to play there. But it was a matter of me coming home to play in front of my family.''

The win helped the Sparks conclude their season-high, six-game homestand with a 3-3 mark. The victory also prevented Minnesota from clinching a playoff spot in the West.

The Fever took advantage of a slow start by the Sparks to score the game's first seven points. Los Angeles missed its first five shots as Indiana's lead swelled to 16-4 on a layup by Tammy Sutton-Brown.

Hoffman got the Sparks back in it, hitting a 3-pointer to close the first quarter and opening the second with another 3. Kristi Toliver's jumper tied the score before Hoffman's third 3-pointer of the half gave the Sparks their first lead at 24-21.

• Fever: --
• Sparks: --

• Fever: --
• Sparks: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #39 Michael Price, #9 Denise Brooks, #21 Byron Jarrett
• Attendance: 8102
• Duration: 2:02