Sparks Finally Go to the Head of Their Class

Finally, after seven weeks and 24 games--actually, make that three years--the Sparks were able to say it Sunday night:

“Houston, you have a problem.”

On a day when the Sparks caught a break--another team beat the WNBA’s three-time defending champion Houston Comets--Los Angeles survived a grinding, physically punishing battle with Sacramento and beat the Monarchs, 73-68, before 8,482 at the Great Western Forum.

With their fifth consecutive victory, 17th in their last 18 games, the Sparks surged into first place in the West for the first time this late in the season.

Houston, the only champion in the league’s history, fell to the Liberty at Madison Square Garden early Sunday, 69-64. That dropped the Comets into second at 21-4. The Sparks are 21-3. Sacramento dropped into a tie for third at 15-10.

To listen to Coach Michael Cooper it wasn’t about first place. It was about Sacramento. For the crowd, it was definitely about first place. The fans roared their approval in the final minute, goaded on by Lisa Leslie, who applauded their noisy support after she scored a game-high 20 points and extended her streak of consecutive made free throws to 44.

For the time being, the Sparks seem to have reached another attendance level. After drawing earlier crowds of well under 6,500, the Sparks have attracted 11,378, 7,269 and 8,482 since July 14.

“That crowd gave me a boost, I can tell you that,” said DeLisha Milton (13 points, 11 rebounds). “I felt kind of weary at the end and they energized me.”

Milton had reason for fatigue. She guarded Yolanda Griffith all the way, boxing her out sufficiently to limit her to four rebounds.

In addition to gaining first, the Sparks won another season series with their second victory in three tries against the Monarchs. Sacramento was playing for the second consecutive night and was without the league’s assist leader, Ticha Penicheiro, who didn’t play because of a foot injury.

Yet the Monarchs, switching in and out of an effective zone, were able to rally from a 12-point deficit, at 56-44, and gain a 66-66 tie with 3:55 left.

Griffith (19 points) got the tie for Sacramento when she scored inside and was fouled, but missed a go-ahead free throw.

Milton got the Sparks the lead for good with a free throw, then Allison Feaster got a steal and dished to fast-breaking Tamecka Dixon, who scored at 2:20 for a 69-66 lead.

“We had a good effort and had our chances to beat a good team on the road, but we came up short,” Monarch Coach Sonny Allen said.

Cooper thought his club wasted a chance to bury Sacramento early, when the Sparks ran up early leads of 13-3, 24-13 and later at 56-44. “We made some errors--taking bad shots and making bad passes--when they were making their runs,” he said.

Houston’s loss was not discussed in the pregame meeting, Cooper said: “I told them our first order of business is to take care of Spark business, and that meant Sacramento . . . If we stay in first, fine. But this team has done a good job of staying focused on that day’s opponent.”

The Sparks meet East co-leader Orlando Tuesday.