Sparks tonight

AT DETROIT

Time: 4:30 PDT.

On the air: Web -- wnba.com.

Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills; Auburn Hills, Mich.

Records: Sparks 1-0, Shock 0-1.

Record vs. Shock: 1-0.

Update: This is the first of four straight road games, an early season trip Sparks players said could be beneficial. “You have to win championships on the road,” center Lisa Leslie said. The Sparks beat Detroit, 78-58, in Staples Center on Saturday in the season opener. Shock Coach Bill Laimbeer said forward Plenette Pierson suffered a season-ending right shoulder injury after getting tangled with Sparks forward Tina Thompson. Detroit is also without forward Cheryl Ford (knee injury) and center Kara Braxton (six-game suspension for a drunk-driving charge), leaving Detroit vulnerable again to the Sparks’ depth.

-- Mark Medina