Leslie Record Sounds Good
Lisa Leslie has set another gold standard in her remarkable career.
On Monday the Sparks’ center became the first WNBA player to reach 3,000 points during the Sparks’ 92-84 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Leslie, who had 24 points, 21 rebounds (tying her team and league record) and a career-high eight assists, reached the milestone at 12:14 in the second half when she put in her own missed shot, sending the 12,231 fans at Staples Center into a frenzy. After a timeout, Leslie received another ovation as she was given the game ball, and she raced across the court to give it to her mother Christina, who was sitting courtside.
“It was kinda weird; they gave me the ball, but we still had to play,” Leslie said. “But then I figured I’d give it to my mom. It’s her birthday tomorrow.”
Leslie, who had “no idea at all” she was that close to 3,000 points, tried to reflect on her accomplishment, but felt it was a little soon. “It’s nice because I’ve been here since the league started,” she said. “Let’s see in another six years, if I’m handing [the record] off to someone else. But it’s nice being the first one. It’s cool.”
If Leslie, who now has 3,005 points and counting, was uncertain how to appreciate the moment, Tamecka Dixon--who like Leslie is an original Spark--had no problem.
“What an accomplishment,” said Dixon, who had 12 points, one of five Sparks in double figures. “And it’s well deserved. If anybody should do it, she should.
“I don’t know if she was aware of it. She didn’t play that way. She took shots when they were available and didn’t force anything. She was very under control.”
The victory, and Leslie’s night, obscured the fact the 18-4 Sparks--playing again without Latasha Byears, who is recovering from a stress fracture in the right knee--nearly let the game slip away.
Leading, 85-66, with 7:03 to play, Los Angeles was outscored by the Miracle, 18-3, over the next 4:34. But 88-84 was as close as Orlando (10-12) got. DeLisha Milton and Leslie each made a pair of free throws to close out the game.
Milton finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Mwadi Mabika had 20 points, and reserve Sophia Witherspoon had 15, tying the team record by making five (of 11) three-point shots.
“It was a good win for us,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said. “We had a couple of lapses, and I wanted to get Lisa out of the game, so she could hear the crowd. But the acknowledgment wouldn’t mean anything if we didn’t win.”
This figured to be a good game for Leslie to reach the 3,000-point plateau.
The Sparks, at home since defeating Cleveland on Saturday, were catching an Orlando team that had lost Sunday night in Sacramento. In that loss, starters Shannon Johnson, Wendy Palmer and Nykesha Sales had each played 36 or more minutes. And the visitors came into the contest having lost six consecutive road games.
Los Angeles did grab a 17-8 lead at the 14:17 mark. But the Sparks have had a nagging tendency this season to get out of sync with bad passes and rushed shots. It cropped up again as Orlando rolled out a 17-5 spurt to move in front, 25-22, and the Sparks spent the remainder of the half catching up.
Johnson, who scored 22 points, frustrated the Sparks with her quickness, and Sales, who also had 22, kept L.A. on edge with her ability to launch a shot from anywhere on the floor. When the Sparks tried to clamp down on those two, Palmer (17 points) was effective inside the lane.
But Leslie, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds by the half, Milton and Mabika rallied the Sparks to a 52-45 lead at the half.
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In other WNBA news:
Tari Phillips scored 10 of her 15 points in the first half as the host New York Liberty (14-9) scored a 73-52 victory over the Cleveland Rockers (8-14) before 13,719 at Madison Square Garden.... The Indiana Fever (9-13) used two free throws in the final seconds by Olympia Scott-Richardson for a 73-72 victory over the Charlotte Sting (13-9) before 6,115 at Indianapolis. The Sting activated forward Shalonda Enis, who missed the first 21 games after her son’s birth.... The Seattle Storm traded guard Semeka Randall to the Utah Starzz for guard-forward Kate Starbird. Utah’s Natalie Williams will miss tonight’s game at Detroit to attend her grandmother’s funeral.