Leslie Savors Birthday With Sparks’ 81-75 Win

As two-time defending WNBA champions, the Sparks understand and expect to get every team’s best effort. But they wouldn’t mind if the opposition, for once, would take a night off.

On Monday they endured another 40 minutes of bumps, shoves and inspired play to outlast the visiting Cleveland Rockers, 81-75, before 6,710 at Staples Center, thanks to the dominating play of Lisa Leslie, who had 26 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. And the Sparks continue to own the WNBA’s best record (14-3) halfway through the 2003 regular season.

But the plethora of ice bags on the knees, bruises on the thighs, and cuts on the arms that are a part of every Los Angeles postgame locker room are reminders of the price the Sparks pay for being the league’s biggest target.

“Again we took another team’s best shot,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said. “These teams come in here to play every night, and we have to give a playoff kind of effort every night.

“It’s tough to get up every game, and practice as hard as you want to practice; it’s mentally draining more than anything. But these ladies are doing a great job rising to the challenge.”

Cleveland (7-8), which got 20 points off the bench from Betty Lennox and 17 points from Chasity Melvin, stayed right with the Sparks much of the night, twice leading by eight points until finally wearing down in the last minutes.

Two free throws by Leslie with 5:18 to play broke a 61-61 tie and ignited a 9-0 spurt that gave Los Angeles the necessary cushion to hold off any final Rocker response. Also key to the victory was the Sparks’ making 27 of 30 free throws, including their last 26 in a row.

Leslie, who celebrated her 31st birthday by becoming the first WNBA player to surpass 3,500 points (3,515) reiterated that the Sparks can’t become frustrated by how difficult it has become to win easily.

“We talked early in the year on how the league got stronger, and that we may not see those types of [lopsided] wins anymore,” Leslie said. “Even the teams with the lowest records have played us close. We know we make everybody’s season if they can come in and beat the Sparks. Even Detroit is talking about [its victory over Los Angeles].”

The Sparks looked to be in trouble early when Cleveland bounced out to a 21-13 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes in part because Penny Taylor (15 points) was consistently driving around and through the Sparks’ interior defense for easy baskets and Lennox came off the bench sizzling from the perimeter.

The Sparks regained enough composure to establish a 36-33 halftime lead. They had one more lull in the second half, falling behind, 54-46, on a three-point shot by Lennox, before rousing themselves and taking control.

Earlier in the day, the Sparks’ Nikki Teasley learned she had been added to the Western Conference squad for the WNBA All-Star game in New York on Saturday. Teasley was named by league President Val Ackerman to replace Houston guard Cynthia Cooper, who was elected to start the game by the fans but is out for the season because of rotator cuff surgery.

Teasley, who had 15 points and 11 assists Monday, said she had no idea she was under consideration. Although honored at being chosen, she doesn’t want to lose sight of “the big picture” of winning the championship.

“That’s always the main goal,” Teasley said. “I’d rather win championships than be an All-Star. I think of myself as a complementary player who has to think of others first.”

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Shalonda Enis scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half as the Charlotte Sting overcame a dreadful start to beat the Mystics, 62-56, in front of 11,691 at Washington.

It was 10th consecutive loss for the Mystics (2-13), who did not attempt a free throw. The Sting (11-6) went the first eight minutes without scoring before Dawn Staley sank a three-point shot to make it 11-3.

Coco Miller’s 20 points led the Mystics, who got 12 rebounds from Chamique Holdsclaw.