| Qtr | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 LA | 25 | 35 | 22 | 15 | 97 |
 PHX | 24 | 19 | 27 | 18 | 88 |
D. Hamby led all scorers (27 PTS · 15 REB · 3 AST). A. Thomas answered with 23 for the Mercury, but it wasn't enough. The game turned on a 9-0 Mercury run. It changed hands 11 times and was tied on 5 separate occasions. The ball moved for the Sparks — 23 assists to 17, and that was the margin. Sparks won Q2 by 16 (35–19), the period that decided it. Field goals: Sparks 48%, Mercury 42%. From deep: Sparks 47%, Mercury 32%. Rebounds: Sparks 31, Mercury 33. Turnovers: Sparks 17, Mercury 13. Points in the paint: Sparks 26, Mercury 40.
The Sparks sit 6th in the Western Conference, 16 games back, winners of 2 straight, 3-7 over their last 10. The Mercury sit 7th in the Western Conference, 17 games back, coming off a win, 3-7 over their last 10.
The most recent baskets, with the running score beside each one. Basketball scores too often to list a game end to end, so this is the latest stretch of it rather than the whole.
Cameron Brink makes free throw 2 of 2Score88-74Natasha Mack makes 6-foot floating jump shot (Noemie Brochant assists)Score88-76Nneka Ogwumike makes 5-foot two point shot (Erica Wheeler assists)Score90-76Natasha Mack makes 2-foot layup (Kahleah Copper assists)Score90-78Rae Burrell makes driving layupScore92-78Kahleah Copper makes 26-foot three point jumper (Natasha Mack assists)Score92-81DeWanna Bonner makes running layup (Jovana Nogic assists)Score92-83Erica Wheeler makes 24-foot three point jumper (Kelsey Plum assists)Score95-83Alyssa Thomas makes two point shotScore95-85Dearica Hamby makes free throw 1 of 2Score96-85Dearica Hamby makes free throw 2 of 2Score97-85Kahleah Copper makes free throw 1 of 2Score97-86Kahleah Copper makes free throw 2 of 2Score97-87Kahleah Copper makes free throw 2 of 2Score97-88Each side's next fixtures, with the date and who travels.
Los Angeles SparksPhoenix Mercury
