Shock-Sparks Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Sep 09 2011 2:08AM

The Tulsa Shock and Los Angeles Sparks won't play after this weekend, but the Shock should have some motivation heading into their final games.

Tulsa will try to avoid finishing with more losses than any team in league history by winning at Staples Center on Friday night.

No WNBA team has lost more than 30 games in a season and it appeared the Shock (3-29) might easily become the first as they had one win for most of this campaign and lost a league-record 20 in a row. Tulsa ended that lengthy skid when Sheryl Swoopes hit a jumper with 2.9 seconds left in a 77-75 victory at Los Angeles on Aug. 26.

Following its only road win this season, the Shock beat Connecticut 83-72 on Aug. 28 but have dropped four in a row since then. They're trying to avoid finishing with more losses than the 2008 Atlanta Dream, who were 4-30 in their inaugural season.

Tulsa will likely need a better finish than it had Thursday in Phoenix. The Shock trailed by three at halftime but scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of a 91-76 loss. Rookie center Liz Cambage had 22 points off the bench - two shy of matching her career high - and led four players in double figures.

"I thought we played well, especially against a team like this," coach Teresa Edwards said. "They're a high scoring team and that's how they do, so I thought we did a great job in that first half."

One of those players in double figures was Tiffany Jackson, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds during the previous game in Los Angeles. She also scored 18 points during a loss at Staples on Aug. 9 and has made 14 of 25 shots in the two road games versus the Sparks (13-19), who will miss the playoffs for the first time since drafting Candace Parker before the 2008 season.

Los Angeles was officially eliminated was an 82-65 loss to fourth-place San Antonio on Tuesday. The Sparks had four starters in double figures, led by Tina Thompson with 18 points, but had a combined six points from six other players.

"Here in the Sparks organization, they want championships. The city wants championships," forward DeLisha Milton-Jones said. "In that sense, it's been a down year for us."

Los Angeles has five players averaging in double figures against the Shock this season, led by Milton-Jones' 16.0 points per game.

Lavender leads Sparks past Shock, 84-73

Posted Sep 10 2011 1:19AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Jantel Lavender had 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Tulsa Shock 84-73 on Friday night.

The Sparks (14-19) snapped a two-game losing streak and won for only the second time in six games despite missing leading scorer and rebounder Candace Parker, who sat out for precautionary reasons after her right knee flared up.

Ticha Penicheiro scored 13 points and Kristi Toliver added 12 for the Sparks.

Andrea Riley and Liz Cambage each scored 18 points for the Shock (3-30), who lost their fifth straight game.

Starting in place of Parker, Lavender scored 13 points in the first half. She sat out a long stretch of the second half after she picked up her fourth and fifth fouls in an 18-second span in the third quarter.

The Sparks led from 6-4 and didn't let the Shock come within single digits in the fourth quarter. They avenged an Aug. 26 loss to Tulsa in which the Shock snapped a WNBA-record, 20-game losing streak.

``We wanted to have revenge, but we just knew we had to go out and play hard,'' Lavender said.

``We knew they were going to come in and play with some kind of confidence because they did beat us and we were a part of three wins for the season. We just had to come out and play hard tonight because they are a good team and play well together.''

Lavender had no points in three of her previous four games and reached double-digit scoring for the second time in 10 games.

``She worked well on the pick-and-roll set because she rolls deep to the basket,'' Sparks coach Joe Bryant said. ``It was good for her.''

Bryant said Parker will be a game-time decision for the Sparks' season finale Saturday.

``We're not in the playoffs, so it's really caring more about the player,'' Bryant said. ``It's important for her to get a full recovery.''

Parker missed 15 games with torn cartilage in her right knee earlier this season. She is averaging 18.9 points and a team-leading 8.9 rebounds.

Tulsa was also without its leading scorer, point guard Ivory Latta, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in her left knee. She was averaging 12.2 points.

• Shock: --
• Sparks: --

• Shock: Cambage
• Sparks: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #18 Kurt Walker, #38 Lamont Simpson, #34 Maj Forsberg
• Attendance: 10299
• Duration: 1:46