Sparks-Mercury Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jul 09 2012 2:17PM

The Los Angeles Sparks are surging behind the recent solid play of Kristi Toliver, but it remains to be seen if they can sustain that run on the road.

Given Toliver's last performance in Phoenix, there's little reason to believe they can't.

Los Angeles seeks a fourth consecutive victory when it visits the struggling Mercury on Tuesday night.

The Sparks (13-6) have won three straight home games, beating defending champion Minnesota on Thursday, Seattle on Saturday and finishing the run with a 79-63 victory over Atlanta on Sunday.

Los Angeles had lost three straight - including two on the road - prior to its winning streak.

"I'm glad that's done,'' coach Carol Ross said. "I'm extremely proud of them. Everything's going to get knocked to the mat in this league, but it's how you get up, and I thought we responded to rest. I thought we responded to practice. I think we really focused in on these three home games against three quality opponents.''

Toliver has been a major reason for the surge, averaging 23.7 points after scoring only 9.7 per game in the previous three defeats. She played all 40 minutes Sunday despite it being the second game of a back-to-back.

Candace Parker added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Sparks, who will play their last two games before the Olympic break away from home.

"We wanted to be greedy and get all these wins at home and take that momentum on the road,'' Toliver said.

Parker didn't play in the Sparks' last road win, but Toliver picked up the slack by scoring a career-high 29 points - matched Thursday against Minnesota - to help Los Angeles earn a 93-84 win over Phoenix on June 23.

The Sparks have won the season's first three meetings over the Mercury (4-13), who have dropped four straight after an 83-68 loss to Seattle on Sunday.

Diana Taurasi hasn't played since scoring 18 points in a 99-88 loss to Los Angeles on May 26, missing the last 14 games with a strained left hip flexor. Candice Dupree also didn't play Sunday's second end of a back-to-back because of a knee contusion.

Phoenix, which shot only 32.8 percent against the Storm, were led by DeWanna Bonner's 12 points.

"Every dog has its day, and it's not our day,'' coach Corey Gaines said. "We'll be back one day.''

Bonner scored 24 points and Samantha Prahalis added 22 in the Mercury's most recent defeat against the Sparks, but Prahalis was held to six while Bonner netted 18 in a 90-74 loss June 8.

Toliver has averaged 20.3 points in the three meetings, while Parker has averages of 25.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two matchups she's played.

Parker's double-double leads Sparks past Mercury

Posted Jul 10 2012 10:32PM

PHOENIX (AP) Candace Parker had 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 90-71 victory over the Phoenix Mercury for their fourth straight win.

Kristi Tolliver added 19 points and six assists and Nneka Ogwumike had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Los Angeles (14-6). Parker also had four assists and three blocks.

``We know that Phoenix's philosophy is to get out in transition, so I think that once we started playing defense then we were able to kind of beat them at their own game,'' Parker said.

The Sparks trail defending champion Minnesota by one game in the Western Conference.

``It was a good team effort,'' Sparks coach Carol Ross said. ``It's good for us to get a road win. ... We came off a three-game win streak at home and we wanted to see if we could extend that on the road, so it was good.''

DeWanna Bonner and rookie Sammy Prahalis both had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead the Mercury (4-14). Alexis Gray-Lawson added 13 points and Krystal Thomas scored 11.

Both teams were playing their third games in four days but Los Angeles won all three while the Mercury lost all three. Phoenix, playing again without injured stars Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree, has lost five straight and seven of nine.

``Both teams were a little sluggish,'' Parker said. ``I think we all are very tired. We were able to get some second-chance opportunities and get out in transition. I think that's our strength.''

Mercury coach Corey Gaines didn't want to use the schedule as an excuse.

``Three games in 65 hours I think it was,'' he said. ``Sammy's tired, DB was tired, they're all tired. But other teams play the same schedule.''

Phoenix, playing without the injured Penny Taylor all season, has been without Taurasi (strained hip flexor) since May 31st, and has lost 12 of 15 in her absence. Dupree, the team's second-leading scorer through the first nine games, missed her eighth game in the last nine and has played just nine minutes since June 17.

Also, Charde Houston left with a knee injury in the second quarter and finished with five points in a little more than eight minutes.

``That's basketball,'' Bonner said. ``The (Olympic) break is coming up, so that'll be good for our team.''

Phoenix made only 31 percent of its shots (25 of 80) and was outrebounded 55-43.

``We were battling in there pretty good all night,'' Ross said. ``We weren't able to put up our offensive rebounds and they didn't necessarily convert to points, so that was a little bit of an issue, but I thought both teams rebounded the ball hard.''

Parker scored four points during a key 8-0 run late in the first half to help Los Angeles take a 44-36 lead at the break. Parker and Tolliver each had 3-pointers early in the third quarter as the Sparks opened up a 60-45 lead.

Phoenix didn't get closer than 11 the rest of the way.

The Sparks have beaten the Mercury in all four meetings this season, winning by an average of 14 points.

• Sparks: --
• Mercury: --

• Sparks: --
• Mercury: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #13 Cameron Inouye, #38 Lamont Simpson, #53 Jeff Smith
• Attendance: 9336
• Duration: 1:50