Taurasi Helps Defeat Sparks

Diana Taurasi had 34 points and seven assists to lead the Phoenix Mercury to a 96-80 victory over the Sparks on Saturday night.

Cappie Pondexter added 17 points and six assists for the Mercury, which has won three straight after losing four in a row. Phoenix (14-16) remained 2 1/2 games behind fourth-place Seattle for the final postseason berth in the Western Conference with four games to play

Temeka Johnson had 17 points and five assists, and Murriel Page scored 16 points for the Sparks (23-9), who lost their third straight after winning 10 of 11. Lisa Leslie, averaging 20 points a game, was held to eight on three-for-10 shooting.

The Mercury used a pair of 10-0 runs to pull away from the West’s top team. The second run put Phoenix ahead, 58-41, with 6:12 left in the third quarter, and the Mercury led by as much as 23 in the final period.

Taurasi is two points short of the WNBA mark for points in a season, set by Katie Smith for Minnesota in 2001 (739 in 32 games).

The Mercury ran off 10 straight points in the second quarter to take a 38-26 lead with 3:39 left. Phoenix had held Los Angeles to seven-for-26 shooting and Leslie to three points, but the Sparks made 10 of 11 free throws to stay close. Leslie scored back-to-back baskets in the final 1:20 of the half to cut the lead, and Johnson’s layup with 2.6 seconds left got the Sparks to within 44-37 at the break.

Sparks forward Chamique Holdsclaw, averaging 12.5 points as a reserve, sat out a second game with plantar fasciitis in her left foot.

The Sparks had beaten Phoenix by an average of eight points in the first three meetings.