Sparks go inside and beat the Sky

Playing Chicago without center Sylvia Fowles, the Sparks used a height advantage at every frontcourt position and dominated the Sky inside to win their fourth game in a row, 80-67, on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Fowles, a 6-foot-6 rookie from Louisiana State, was the team’s second leading rebounder before sitting out the last four games because of a sprained knee.

She played the last time the Sky and Sparks met, a game the Sparks won, 81-77, in overtime. In that game, the Sparks won the rebounding battle by seven. Wednesday night the Sparks outrebounded the Sky by 17, with Chicago unable to grab its first offensive rebound until the second half.

“The identity of this team is going to be a defensive team and an inside team,” Coach Michael Cooper said. “We are slowly but surely getting there.”

Up by three points entering the second quarter, the Sparks gradually built their lead to 12. With 0.5 seconds left in the half, Sydney Spencer made a three-point basket that gave the Sparks a 38-23 lead at the break.

After a month of losing big leads in the second half, the Sparks saw a 22-point lead shrink to 13 with 6:34 to play before Cooper called a timeout. After that, the Sparks never let their lead slip below 10.

Much like the first meeting, the Sparks forced the Sky to shoot a low percentage, especially in the first half.

Candice Dupree, Chicago’s leading scorer, went five for 15 from the field after scoring 22 points against the Sparks on June 3.

“We really came out focused and wanted to do a much better job on her in the paint,” Lisa Leslie said. “We wanted to take her out of her game.”

Leslie led the Sparks with 21 points.

By virtue of holding a double-digit lead throughout the second half, Cooper was able to give his reserves significant playing time.

Spencer, whose playing time has fallen significantly this season, took advantage by scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds.

Temeka Johnson, who had not played since being replaced by Keisha Brown in the starting lineup June 6 against Detroit, entered with 1:22 remaining in the first quarter and also played the point for the final 7:41.

“She did a good job,” Cooper said. “This team has so many talented players, some shouldn’t be on the inactive list but they are there.”