SPARKS TONIGHT

vs. Phoenix, 7:30

Site -- Staples Center.

TV -- FSN, NBATV.

Records -- Sparks 23-8; Mercury 16-14.

Record vs. Mercury -- 2-1.

Update --The Mercury ended five years of frustration, and an 18-game losing streak, last week in beating the Sparks at Phoenix. Phoenix, leading Sacramento by 1 1/2 games for the fourth and final Western Conference playoff berth, has to finish with a better record than Sacramento to make the playoffs. Regardless of the finish, Diana Taurasi’s rookie year has been a triumph. Her 17.1 scoring average leads the Mercury and ranks her sixth overall in the WNBA.

-- Mike Terry