Sparks’ rally falls short against playoff-hungry Mercury
PHOENIX — Diana Taurasi scored 30 points, Skylar Diggins-Smith added 27 and the Phoenix Mercury rolled to a 90-80 victory over the Sparks on Thursday night.
Taurasi hit five three-pointers and added six rebounds, while Diggins-Smith grabbed five rebounds with six assists for Phoenix (13-16). Shey Peddy scored 12 as the Mercury won their second straight and moved into third place in the Western Conference — passing the Sparks and Dallas.
Chennedy Carter led the Sparks (12-16) with a season-high 23 points. Nneka Ogwumike had 19 points, while Kristi Toliver and reserve Jordin Canada scored 10 apiece. Los Angeles has lost two straight and five of seven.
Diggins-Smith, Taurasi and Peddy accounted for 23 of 26 first-quarter points as the Mercury took a nine-point lead.
Taurasi and Diggins-Smith teamed up to score the first 16 points in the second quarter as Phoenix pushed its lead to 42-22 at the 6:22 mark and never looked back in taking a 54-32 lead at intermission.
Liz Cambage abruptly left the Sparks on Tuesday as the team announced a ‘contract divorce’ amid a battle for a playoff spot.
