Candace Parker leads Sparks to 82-73 win in Game 2

PHOENIX — Candace Parker had 31 points and 11 rebounds to help the Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury, 82-73, on Saturday, evening their WNBA Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece.

Nneka Ogwumike also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Lindsey Harding scored 13 points and Alana Beard added 12 for the Sparks.

Two days after receiving the league’s most-valuable-player award for the second time in her career, Parker made 13 of 24 shots from the field and five of six from the free-throw line.

Diana Taurasi, who scored 30 points in Phoenix’s win at Staples Center in Game 1 on Thursday, had 20 points on six-for-19 shooting. Brittney Griner scored 18 points and Candice Dupree added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Mercury.

The final game of the best-of-three series will be Monday night at Staples Center.

Parker had 15 points and four rebounds in the second quarter as the Sparks extended their early lead to a 44-30 advantage at the break and then held off Phoenix in the second half.

The Mercury chipped away a bit in the third period, with Taurasi getting 11 points to help her team get within 10 going into the final period, but Phoenix never got the deficit to single digits until the final 3:07.

The Mercury pulled to 76-71 on Taurasi’s two free throws with 34.8 seconds remaining, but the Sparks made six of eight from the free-throw line the rest of the way to pull away.

Phoenix committed 12 turnovers in the first half — more than the Mercury totaled in the opener on Thursday — leading to 10 Sparks points.

The Mercury also got in foul trouble again, with Dupree picking up her third with 5:33 left in the second and Taurasi her third less than a minute later — both on the offensive end.

The Sparks scored the last four points of the first quarter to take a 17-13 lead after 10 minutes.