Los Angeles Sparks record an impressive 101-76 victory over Phoenix Mercury – WNBA Recap
The Los Angeles Sparks secured the home court advantage for the first round of playoffs by defeating the Phoenix Mercury 101-76 here at the Staples Center on Tuesday.
The Sparks clinched the 2nd spot in the Western conference after recording their ninth consecutive home victory.
Candace Parker scored 26 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists while going 11 of 18 from the field as she led her team to victory. Alana Beard added 22 points for the Sparks, while Kristi Toliver finished with 17 points and 3 assists.
DeWanna Bonner finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for Phoenix.
“Home court is huge. We're 15-1 at home and 8-9 on the road. You can do the calculations and understand that this is where we want to be. I'm excited about this (first-round) series. I think it's going to be a competitive series,
and having home-court advantage is huge for us,” said Alana Beard after the game.
The Sparks opened the game with a 7-0 run and never trailed after that, completely dominating the game and carrying the offensive momentum from start to end.
A three pointer by Beard put the Sparks up 14-4, and the team scored 6 straight points after that to extend their lead to 20-4. Phoenix failed to connect to start the game, but picked up the pace near the end of the period to finish
the quarter trailing 18-30.
Jantel Lavender scored 5 straight points in the early going of the 2nd quarter for the Sparks, extending their lead to 37-20. Parker scored nine straight points later in the same period, including a three pointer, as
Los Angeles led 54-40 at the half time break.
Phoenix made a run for the lead in the third quarter, and cut the deficit down to 53-60 through a 13-6 run to start the period. However, Los Angeles replied with an 11-2 run of their own and stretched the lead back to 71-55. Beard
then scored 7 straight points the Sparks lead was extended to 20 points. Eleven points by Parker and Toliver in less than 2 minutes in the final period effectively sealed the fate of the game, giving the Sparks a 94-72 lead with 4:17 left in regulation. Los
Angeles eventually won 101-76.
“I don't think you can ever breathe easy in the playoffs, I think it's like a win-or-go home, especially with the playoff format. You can't have any real time to stumble. So it just puts the pressure on us to win that first game
at home,” said Parker talking about the playoffs after the game.
Sparks shot 51.3 percent from the field and an astounding 9 of 13 from three point range. in addition to that, they were 14 of 20 from the foul line to cap off an impressive shooting night. Phoenix shot 41.7 percent from the field
and a meagre 6 of 23 from the distance in comparison. Los Angeles also had 9 fewer turnovers than Phoenix at 10.
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