Up next for Sparks: Friday at Phoenix

AT PHOENIX

When: 7 p.m. PDT.

Where: U.S. Airways Center.

On the air: WNBA.com.

Records: Sparks 1-4, Mercury 2-3.

Record vs. Mercury: 0-1.

Update: When the teams met in the season opener May 15, the Sparks lost, 78-77, to the league’s defending champion. The Sparks lost, 101-82, to Atlanta on Sunday. First-year coach Jennifer Gillom told her players that they need to play all four quarters with equal intensity. Candace Parker is averaging a double-double for the Sparks with 21.8 points and 11 rebounds a game. Diana Taurasi leads the Mercury with 22.6 points and five rebounds a game.