Sparks’ Win at Houston a First

The Sparks dragged an old, fallen oak from their path to a possible WNBA championship Saturday before an uncharacteristically silent sellout throng at Compaq Center.

For the first time in their four-summer history, the Sparks defeated the Houston Comets at Houston, ending an eight-game losing streak in Compaq Center with an 84-74 victory that included a game-ending 37-18 run.

Before a crowd of 16,285, the Sparks (24-3) overpowered the three-time WNBA champion Comets (22-5) to seize a two-game lead in the Western Conference with five to play.

The victory was their eighth in a row and 20th in 21 games.

They completed a three-game season sweep of the Comets.

And they established themselves as the favorite to win the WNBA championship.

Even the Comet coach said so.

“Looks to me like that’s the team to beat,” Van Chancellor said. “They not only beat us at home worse than they did in L.A., they made us look really bad the last 12 minutes.”

Perhaps the Comets were emotionally spent. In an emotional pregame ceremony, they retired the uniform of their late teammate Kim Perrot, who died of lung and brain cancer last August.

Whatever the reason for their dominance, the Sparks won with authority, rallying from a 56-47 deficit in the last 14:25.

Suddenly, Coach Michael Cooper’s team turned up its defensive energy to a near boil. DeLisha Milton (17 points, nine rebounds), Lisa Leslie (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Tamecka Dixon (19 points, four assists) engineered a 12-2 run to enable the Sparks to secure a lead they never relinquished.

Dixon had a steal and a breakaway layup in the run and Ukari Figgs’ three-point basket capped a 10-0 spurt and gave the Sparks a 57-56 advantage, their first lead since midway through the first half.

It was easily the biggest victory in franchise history, and the Sparks acted like it.

When they came off the court to boos by Comet fans, they chanted: “Don’t hate, congratulate!”

A shrieking Dixon got a ride through the tunnel on Leslie’s back. While their locker room was closed in the intermediate aftermath, a ball girl came out and said: “Wow, are they having a party in there!”

Said Cooper: “This team is a proven winner now. We weathered a storm out there because we played the best half of defense we’ve had all season. And you know what? I think we can play better here. We have a bright future this season.”

Once the Sparks had the lead, they pushed it to 68-60 with a Leslie six-footer and four free throws by Mwadi Mabika and Figgs.

The clincher seemed to be a Dixon drive through traffic that gave the Sparks a 78-69 lead with 2:31 to play.

The Sparks’ starting five played the entire second half, and Milton, Dixon, Mabika and Leslie each logged at least 34 minutes.

Now the Sparks must focus on five consecutive road games before the playoffs begin Aug. 11.

“Nothing is really accomplished until we win the conference championship,” Leslie said.

Said Milton: “We still want to sweep this road trip. We’re never satisfied.”

The Sparks, who made 51.7% of their shots, had only seven turnovers.

Cynthia Cooper led the Comets with a game-high 25 points, and teammate and WNBA scoring leader Sheryl Swoopes, clearly bothered by jammed index fingers, scored only eight.

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WNBA’s Top Teams

Sparks 24-3

Houston 22-5

Phoenix 17-9

Sacramento 17-10

New York 17-10