Lynx blow another "Spark"

BY MIKE PEDEN

The recap for Thursday night's Minnesota Lynx game sounds eerily familiar to the three straight they lost in their July homestand: build a sizable lead at some point in the game, relinquish that lead, lose by three points or less, and wonder what happened.

After reaching a 16-point lead early, it took 1.1 seconds for that scenario to play out. Los Angeles Sparks center Tina Thompson nailed a 17-foot game-winning buzzer-beater to give the Sparks a 78-77 win at Target Center.

"I was open, so I shot it," Thompson said, who added 16 points to the WNBA's all-time record for most career points. "Either way, there's a lot of excitement and emotions that go on with it, but we got the win."

By winning the first three games against the Lynx (11-18), the Sparks (11-19) win the series and the tiebreaker should the two teams finish with even records at the end of the season. With three teams still fighting for two spots in the West, Thursday's game could be a defining moment for both clubs.

"No matter how many points they're down, they still continue to come back and fight their way through," said Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom. "(Minnesota) is a team you can get back in the game with. We have to take it one defensive stop at a time and (Los Angeles) did that."

That was the message Gillom told the Sparks after calling a timeout in the second quarter when the Lynx were up 40-24. Following that timeout, the Sparks slowly chipped at the Lynx lead by exploiting the Lynx's weakness in the paint, an area dominated by the Sparks throughout the series. Los Angeles scored 24 points in the paint in the second half to the Lynx's 12.

"It's us asserting ourselves more," said Sparks forward DeLisha Milton-Jones. "We get in there and demand the ball. If we don't have an inside presence, we'd be losing like we were in the first half of the year."

The intensity was evident, especially in the final 60 seconds. Milton-Jones and Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen both missed a pair of free throws, then Thompson scored a behind-the-back layup with 4.3 seconds left to give the Sparks a 76-75 lead.

Whalen then drove for a game-winning shot, drawing a blocking foul against Ticha Penicheiro with 1.1 seconds remaining. Whalen made both free throws, but Los Angeles called a timeout to advance the ball to half-court. While there was not enough time to drive to the basket again, the Sparks ran the same play for Thompson, and she proved why she is the WNBA's all-time leading scorer.

"With the weapons we have on the floor, I knew if there was a good look, we were going to hit it," Milton-Jones said.

"You have veteran players who know how to play in the big games. They know that if they're patient and keep their composure, the game always turns around," Gillom said.

Lynx forward Chardé Houston fell just three points shy of a career-high, scoring a game-high 24 points. Nicky Anosike and Rebekkah Brunson both finished with double-doubles, Anosike getting 11 points and 11 rebounds while Brunson scored 17 points and scooped 14 boards.

On the Sparks end, Milton-Jones finished with the team high, scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Should the Sparks make the playoffs, WNBA followers may consider the feat astonishing as Los Angeles has to limp through the final four games of the season without Candace Parker and Betty Lennox. Both suffered season-ending injuries, but Milton-Jones sees the situation as an opportunity to showcase perseverance.

"We're not going to put that responsibility on one person. If you can have people making a committed effort, then the results will be in our favor," she said.