Sparks clinch playoff spot, 84-66

HOUSTON -- DeLisha Milton-Jones had 16 points and seven rebounds to help the Sparks clinch a playoff berth with an 84-66 win over the slumping Houston Comets on Saturday night.

Candace Parker scored 12 points, Lisa Leslie added 11 and Temeka Johnson 10 for the Sparks (19-13), who rebounded from a loss at San Antonio the previous night that stopped a four-game winning streak.

“It was the first game in a long time that we played 40 minutes of good basketball,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. “We had some downs when we started the game, but we kept our composure, especially after losing a tough game to San Antonio last night.”

The Sparks are in third in the Western Conference, 2 1/2 games behind Seattle and two behind the Silver Stars.

Tina Thompson scored a game-high 18 points, and Shannon Johnson added 11 for Houston (14-16), which lost its fourth in a row since returning from the league’s monthlong Olympic break. Michelle Snow had nine points and Sancho Lyttle scored eight as the Comets dropped into a fifth-place tie with Minnesota and defending champion Phoenix -- two games behind fourth-place Sacramento. Lyttle left the game with 2:07 to play with an undisclosed injury.

After trailing by 13 in the second quarter, Houston pulled to within 53-46 on Thompson’s 10-foot jumper, but the Sparks scored the next six points to restore their double-digit lead.