Sparks suffer their first loss of the season, falling to the Lynx, 72-69

A historic showdown between two undefeated teams came down to the wire, as it took a three-pointer in the final seconds for the now 13-0 Minnesota Lynx to earn a 72-69 win over the Sparks at Staples Center on Tuesday.

The Sparks were up by two with less than a minute left, but the Lynx tied it after a missed three-point attempt by Candace Parker. Then, with 2.9 seconds left, Minnesota guard Renee Montgomery sank a three. A subsequent try for a three-pointer by Sparks guard Kristi Toliver went in but was milliseconds too late and her foot was on the arc.

“Renee hits the three in the corner; that changes everything. There were a lot of great plays made, but that was the one that sealed the deal for them,” Toliver said.

The parity between the Western Conference rivals was clear in a game with 17 lead changes over the 40 minutes of play.

Whether because of Minnesota’s defense — second in the league behind L.A.’s — or something else, the Sparks (11-1) were uncharacteristically sloppy in the first quarter, shooting 33.3% and looking hesitant to drive to the basket.

The Lynx, however, were aggressive right away, scoring 14 in the paint in the first quarter and leading by as many as eight points. They also were winning on the glass, snagging 16 rebounds to L.A.’s six.

The Sparks got on track in the second quarter, improving their shooting percentage to 43.3 by halftime, helped along by nine points off fastbreaks, including one in the final seconds of the half by guard Essence Carson that gave them a 39-38 lead.

From there, the two teams went back and forth in the quest to preserve a perfect record.

The teams’ biggest stars had less offensive impact than usual. Parker and Nneka Ogwumike have led the Sparks in scoring all season, but tied for fourth on the team Tuesday at nine points each.

Similarly, top Lynx scorers Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles had only eight and five points, respectively, far below their averages of 19.7 and 14.9.

Going four for eight from beyond the arc, Toliver led all players with 20 points, followed by Minnesota guard Seimone Augustus with 13.

“They out-executed us, really just by one play,” Toliver said. “It’s going to be something we have to change and fix, because that’s what championship teams do, they execute in the big moments.”

The Sparks get another chance to mar the Lynx’s spotless record, as the Western rivals meet again Friday night in Minnesota.

renee.griffin@latimes.com