Sparks put a lid on Silver Stars
Before bidding farewell to Staples Center for the next 6 1/2 weeks, the Sparks gave their fans reason to return.
The Sparks played with focus and precision from start to finish Monday night, building an early lead against the San Antonio Silver Stars and using a late push to pull away for a 75-62 victory in front of 11,976, the second-largest crowd to watch a Sparks game at Staples Center this season.
Before the Sparks take a monthlong hiatus for the Olympics, they will embark on a six-game trip beginning Thursday in Phoenix. Candace Parker, one of three Olympians for the Sparks, said it was important to leave on a winning note, and not just for the fans.
“We knew we needed kind of a boost to go out on this road trip,” said Parker, who finished with a team-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.
By winning for just the third time in its last eight games, Los Angeles cut the Silver Stars’ lead in the Western Conference to one game over second-place Seattle and 1 1/2 over the third-place Sparks.
Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones, who also will represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Beijing next month, showed why the Sparks are considered to have the league’s best frontcourt.
Leslie had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Milton-Jones contributed 15 points and six rebounds. The Sparks outrebounded San Antonio, 41-24, including 18-1 on the offensive end.
“That speaks volume of us crashing and just sticking to boxing out,” Parker said.
San Antonio’s lone Olympian, guard Becky Hammon, who will compete for Russia, scored 21 points on six-for-19 shooting. Parker scored eight of the Sparks’ first 10 points as the Sparks surged to a 17-4 lead. The Silver Stars (15-7) did not collect a rebound for the first seven minutes and were outrebounded, 13-4, in the opening quarter.
The Sparks (13-8) still owned a double-digit lead with 1:52 remaining in the first half, but Leslie picked up three fouls in a 73-second span and the Silver Stars closed with a 9-1 run to trail, 35-33, at the half.
The Sparks and Silver Stars briefly traded leads early in the third quarter, but the Sparks ended the quarter with a 7-0 run and led, 50-44, entering the fourth.
The Sparks have been giving away leads in the fourth quarter this season, but they looked composed against the Silver Stars, outscoring them, 25-18, in the final 10 minutes.
“We know that we’re very close to where we want to be,” Leslie said. “We just have to keep tweaking a few things to get us there.”
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