Milton-Jones Re-Injures Knee in Sparks’ Victory

The Sparks, only one game from losing their coach, may have lost one of their star players Friday night during a 66-61 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars at San Antonio.

Spark forward DeLisha Milton-Jones, who is scheduled to play for the U.S. Olympic team in August, sprained her medial collateral ligament and may have re-injured her anterior cruciate ligament in the right knee, team officials said.

Milton-Jones is not expected to suit up for tonight’s game at Houston and will be further evaluated by the Spark team doctors when she returns to Los Angeles on Monday, club officials said.

“It’s just unfortunate,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said of the injury. “The last time we played them they had Marie Ferdinand go down, and now tonight it was like it was our turn. But that is part of the game.”

Cooper is leaving the team after tonight’s game to become an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. Ferdinand, the Silver Stars’ leading scorer who was hurt in last Friday’s overtime loss to the Sparks, is out for the season with a dislocated right elbow. Milton-Jones’ injury occurred while she was going for a rebound in the first half. She left the court at halftime assisted by her teammates.

The Sparks trailed by as many as seven points late in the second half in front of a crowd of 9,845 at SBC Center. L.A. managed to take the lead, at 57-55, when Mwadi Mabika made a three-point shot with 1:53 left. Mabika, who was two for three on three-point shots, scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half.

The Sparks (13-6) were led by Lisa Leslie’s 18 points and 10 rebounds. They also got 10 points from forward Tamika Whitmore, and nine points and eight assists from guard Nikki Teasley. Spark guard Tamecka Dixon started the game and scored two points in 24 minutes. Dixon had been sidelined for the Sparks’ game on Wednesday because of a concussion she sustained in last week’s game against San Antonio.

“I thought tonight was a big win for us, it was a good team effort, but losing DeLisha is a big blow to the whole team,” Leslie said. “They outplayed us in the first half, and we really had to fight to match their intensity in the second half.”

The victory was the fifth consecutive for the Sparks, who increased their Western Conference lead to 1 1/2 games. The last-place Silver Stars (5-13), who suffered their fourth consecutive loss, were led by LaToya Thomas, who scored 19 points to tie her season high.

Minnesota 61, Phoenix 59 -- The Lynx reserves helped lead the biggest comeback in franchise history as Minnesota (8-9) erased a 20-point second-half deficit to win in front of 6,030 at Minneapolis.

Fueled by two three-point shots each from Amber Jacobs and Amanda Lassiter, the Lynx stormed back after trailing, 55-35, with 6 1/2 minutes left. Minnesota scored 26 of the game’s last 30 points. Anna DeForge led the Mercury with 25 points, but Phoenix rookie Diana Taurasi was limited to 11 points on four-for-17 shooting. It was the third consecutive loss for the Mercury (8-10).

Sacramento 85, Connecticut 70 -- Kara Lawson scored 21 points and the Monarchs (7-9) made 54% of their shots, including nine of 12 three-point attempts, to beat the Sun (10-8) in front of 6,771 at Uncasville, Conn. The victory ended a six-game Sun win streak, one shy of a franchise record.