Sparks begin a six-game trip against the Liberty. L.A. is 0-5 on the road.

AT NEW YORK

Time: 4:30 PDT.

On the air: Webcast, wnba.com.

Where: Madison Square Garden.

Records: Sparks 3-6; Liberty 3-6.

Record vs. Liberty (2008): 0-2.

Update: The Sparks face a six-game road swing with one gaping problem -- their 0-5 road record. “I think we need to go 3-3,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said of the trip. “It’s just about sustaining your defensive effort for 40 minutes. It’s important you play good, patient basketball offensively on the road and you definitely have to rebound on the road.” After debuting Sunday with six points in 18 minutes against Phoenix, forward Candace Parker will make her first trip since her maternity leave. Cooper expects her minutes will increase off the bench, but declined to say specifically how he’d play her.

-- Mark Medina