SPARKS TODAY

Opponent--Houston Comets.

Site--The Summit, Houston.

Time--4:30 p.m.

TV--ESPN.

Records--Sparks 2-2, Comets 3-1.

Update--Los Angeles has won two in row, each by 20 points. This game has a USC theme, with All-American Lisa Leslie (‘94) and Coach Linda Sharp leading the Sparks and former Trojans Cynthia Cooper (‘86) and Tina Thompson (‘97) starting for Houston. The Sparks started slowly, struggling to integrate late arrival Zheng Haixia into their lineup. Zheng, 6 foot 8, has made a smooth transition--she had a league-high 28 points against Sacramento on Friday. Houston leads the league in defense, yielding 58 points a game. The Comets are playing well enough to have quit worrying about when Sheryl Swoopes will join them. She gave birth to a son Thursday. Said Cooper: “Talent like hers can only make us better, but I think we’re a great team right now.”