With the Mercury Falling, Sparks’ Hot Streak Hits 17

Michael Cooper hasn’t had much to get upset about during the Sparks’ long winning streak, but his team gave him a brief moment of concern during its 79-67 victory over Phoenix Wednesday.

With the second half barely underway the Sparks had a fit of sloppiness. They threw away a couple of passes and gave up a couple of easy shots. Soon, their 45-39 halftime lead shrank to 47-44, and they could see in the confident faces of the Mercury an upset was possible.

Cooper called a timeout.

“I did have a few choice words for them,” Cooper said. “But right now we don’t need that because we are a veteran team. It was more just reconfirming our commitment to what we have established this year.”

In other words, control and dominate.

And that’s what the Sparks did. They produced a 21-8 spurt to regain control of the game, stopped making silly mistakes and turned up the defense to remind the Mercury why it is an 11-18 team.

When it was over, a crowd of 10,086 at Staples Center had witnessed the Sparks’ league-record 17th straight victory, and their 21st consecutive home win dating to last season. The Sparks improved their record to 26-3 and secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Except for the sluggish opening to the second half, Cooper really couldn’t complain. The Sparks shot 51% and outrebounded the visitors 30-27. Lisa Leslie had 24 points in 24 foul-plagued minutes--she fouled out with 4:41 to play--and Tamecka Dixon, looking the sharpest she’s been since missing three games because of a bad right heel, had 15.

Trisha Fallon came off the bench to lead Phoenix with 15.

“Overall I thought we played pretty well,” Cooper said. “We came in with a businesslike ethic, and that’s important for us. We need to use these remaining games to better ourselves for the playoffs.

“Our mission is not done. We have one home game left [with Houston on Saturday] and eight or nine more games to play. If it’s a two- or three-game series, we are determined to win them and get to our rightful place--the championship finals.”

What will help get the Sparks there, from the team’s perspective, is the faith Cooper is showing in them to work through situations like the one that cropped up Wednesday.

“Last year [Cooper] might have really yelled in the huddle,” said guard Ukari Figgs. “But tonight he was just disappointed that we weren’t playing the way we should. So he basically told us what we already knew--pick it up.

“He is a lot more comfortable with us this year, and we [are] with him. We know he has the confidence in us to work things out.”

Leslie, who also had six rebounds and an uncharacteristic six turnovers, said the Sparks were actually being too unselfish.

“Everybody was trying to make the extra pass, and their defense actually wasn’t tight enough for that,” she said. “The game looked more open than it was.

“During the timeout he told us about our lack of concentration, and to get back where we should be. So we slowed down a bit, and made the good pass as much as the extra pass.”

One of the hallmarks of the Sparks’ winning streak, especially during their homestand, is how they have gone away from running primarily half-court sets and instead stoking up the running game.

It was more a track meet than a basketball game in the first half. Phoenix didn’t mind playing perimeter defense, but was not going to sap its energy trying to impose a physical will on the Sparks. That enabled both teams to get in a shooting rhythm early and stay there. The Sparks sizzled at 60%, and the Mercury was a respectable 43%.

With Leslie enjoying another early hot start (15 points), the Sparks sped to a 34-19 lead by the 6:20 mark of the half. Cooper was also encouraged by the way DeLisha Milton (11 points) and Dixon were letting the shots fly.

“We did a good job controlling the defensive boards in the first half,” Cooper said. “When we do that we can get out and run, and our transition game is at its best.”

Still, the Mercury wasn’t going away. Fallon scored eight points in a row, including a couple of three-pointers, to bring Phoenix within seven. Then, with 3:13 left in the half and the Sparks ahead, 40-31, Leslie was assessed her third foul and sat down the rest of the half.

Phoenix took advantage of Leslie’s absence by employing a half-court trap that forced a couple of turnovers, and got as close as 42-39 before Milton made a three-pointer for the final basket of the half.