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Sparks still chasing WNBA West playoff spot

Chamique Holdsclaw had 20 points and eight rebounds, and tied a career high with seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 74-63 victory against the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday. The victory, combined with Phoenix`s loss to the Sacramento Monarchs, left the Sparks and Mercury in a tie for the fourth and final playoff spot in the WNBA`s Western Conference. Both teams have two games left.

Tamika Whitmore added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Sparks (16-16), who have won three consecutive games and four of their last five. Los Angeles is 3-1 since Joe Bryant replaced Henry Bibby as head coach. Nicole Ohlde scored 16 points and Svetlana Abrosimova added 14 for the Lynx (14-19), who have lost three in a row and five of six.

Minnesota took an 8-4 lead before Los Angeles went on an 18-5 surge to move ahead 22-13 with 8:21 left in the first half. Then, with 3:06 remaining in the half, the Sparks went on a 10-0 run, extending their lead to 40-24. The Lynx chipped away at the lead in the second half, cutting it to 65-60 with 5:29 to play before the Sparks put the game away with a 7-1 spurt that made it 72-61 with just 1:47 left.