Leslie Scores 22 as Sparks Ride Out Storm at 7-0

Lisa Leslie scored 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Sparks defeated the Seattle Storm, 73-60, Saturday night at Seattle. The triumph, L.A.’s seventh in a row, tied a WNBA record for consecutive victories to start a season.

Leslie made nine of 18 shots from the field, including four three-point baskets, and won the matchup of Lisa vs. Lauren--Seattle’s No. 1 draft pick, Lauren Jackson from Australia.

This game renewed a rivalry between the two 6-foot-5 centers that turned sour during the Sydney Olympics. Jackson pulled out a clump of Leslie’s hair in the Olympic gold medal game, which was won, 76-54, by the United States.

Jackson has said it was an accident. “No it wasn’t,” Leslie said Saturday. “But it doesn’t matter. I let my game speak for itself.”

Jackson led Seattle (4-4) with 19 points but was limited to four rebounds.

Leslie’s three-pointer with 11:58 to play gave the Sparks a 61-34 lead.

“We’ve been making strides and finding ways to win,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said. “Tonight, we showed our character and what kind of team we can be. The first half was about as good as we’ve played.”

Portland 81, Sacramento 74--Jackie Stiles scored the first five points in overtime and finished with 21 as the Fire (4-1) won at Sacramento, extending its winning streak to four.

Portland scored the first eight points in overtime against the Monarchs (4-4), who missed their first 10 shots in the extra period.

Phoenix 72, Orlando 68--Jennifer Gillom scored all 12 of her points during a decisive second-half run as the Mercury (4-5) won at Phoenix.

Nykesha Sales scored 14 points for Orlando (1-6). Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Sales and McWilliams-Franklin each topped the 1,000-point mark for their WNBA careers. Sales has 1,007 points and McWilliams-Franklin has 1005.

Detroit 72, Charlotte 69--Edwina Brown made a three-pointer with 6.3 seconds to play in the second overtime period to lead the Shock (3-3) past the Sting (1-6) at Charlotte, N.C.

Brown, who scored 19 points, also made a three-pointer with one second left in the first overtime to force a second extra period.

Indiana 67, Minnesota 65--Nadine Malcolm scored 25 points and Stephanie McCarty followed a steal with a game-winning jump shot in the final seconds as the Fever (2-5) beat the Lynx (1-4) at Indianapolis.

New York 86, Washington 63--Crystal Robinson scored 16 points to lead the Liberty (4-3) at New York. Helen Luz led Washington (2-4) with 15 points.

Cleveland 70, Miami 53--Merlakia Jones scored 18 points at Cleveland to lead the Rockers (5-3) past the Sol (4-2), and to a team-record eighth consecutive home victory.