SPARKS TONIGHT

at DETROIT, 5 PDT, ESPN 2

Site -- The Palace at Auburn Hills.

Radio -- KPLS (830).

Series vs. Shock -- 1-1.

Update -- In the first half of Game 2 Sunday, Detroit Coach Bill Laimbeer, hoping to disrupt the Sparks’ offense, had Swin Cash guard Nikki Teasley. The strategy worked for a half, but it seemed to disrupt Cash’s offense as well; she scored only nine points and missed eight of 12 shots. Don’t expect Laimbeer to do the same thing tonight unless the Sparks get off to a fast start. The Sparks need to get Mwadi Mabika hot early. She made one of 11 shots Sunday and scored four points. When Mabika is scoring frequently, it opens the offense for the other starters. Lisa Leslie’s 18 points in Game 2 gave her 121 in finals games during her career, tying her with Houston’s Sheryl Swoopes for second on the all-time list.

-- Mike Terry