Johnson’s Free Throws Lift Miracle Past Mercury

Shannon Johnson made one free throw with 3.2 seconds left and added another with less than a second left to give the Orlando Miracle a 72-70 victory over Phoenix on Saturday before 8,140 at Orlando, Fla. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Mercury.

Katie Douglas led the Miracle (9-6) with 19 points and made the key steal that led to Johnson’s winning free throw.

Gordana Grubin scored 23 points and Jennifer Gillom had 21 for the Mercury (7-8), which dropped to 0-6 on the road and has lost 12 in a row away from home dating to last year.

Houston 61, Detroit 40--Tina Thompson scored 19 points to lead the Comets in front of 12,423 at Houston. The Comets won their ninth consecutive game.

Thompson made seven of 18 from the field and had a team-high nine rebounds as Houston (14-3) extended its home winning streak to seven.

Astou Ndiaye-Diatta had 12 points to lead the Shock (1-15), which scored a WNBA record-low eight first-half points and lost for the second time in a row after recording its first victory on June 30 against Sacramento.

Indiana 50, Washington 45--Tamika Catchings made five three-point baskets and finished with 18 points as the Fever (7-9) won at Indianapolis in front of 7,393. Washington (12-5) played its third consecutive game without injured Chamique Holdsclaw, the league’s leading scorer and rebounder, and the Mystics shot a season-low 34% from the field.

Charlotte 78, Cleveland 67--Allison Feaster scored a career-high 24 points and made a team-record six three-point baskets as the Sting (9-7) won before 4,756 at Charlotte, N.C. Tammy Sutton-Brown had 18 points for the Sting. The Rockers fell to 6-10.