Candace Parker dominates as Sparks beat rival Lynx 97-81

The star finished 1 assist shy of a triple-double.

The Minnesota Lynx outscored the Los Angeles Sparks in the third quarter of their Sunday matinee 23-18. And the Sparks dominated the rest of the game.

L.A. outscored their longtime rivals by four points in the first quarter, six points in the second quarter, and 11 in the final frame to coast to a 97-81 victory.

Candace Parker controlled the game, being trusted with ballhandling duties for long stretches of time, and controlling the paint with Lynx center Sylvia Fowles sidelined by injury. Parker finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals, coming just a single assist shy of becoming the first player in WNBA history to accomplish multiple regular-season triple-doubles.

She likely would have got there had the game been more competitive, but as it was she played just 28 minutes.

As has been the case all year, her performance was highlight heavy.

But the emotional star was veteran Seimone Augustus. After 432 games (regular season and playoffs) with the Lynx, Augustus played her first game against the team that drafted her. She downplayed the importance of the reunion before the game, but her play was clearly inspired. She finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, and led a dominant bench performance.

L.A.’s reserves scored 53 points to just 5 from Minnesota. Riquna Williams, in her third game since being moved out of the starting lineup, led the team with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.

That led a wildly efficient night for the Sparks, who shot 59.1 percent from distance, and a franchise-record 65.5 percent from the field. They registered assists on 27 of their 38 made baskets, with 20 turnovers being the lone blemish on the stat sheet.

It was perhaps the best offensive performance since Derek Fisher took over as head coach in 2019, and was aided by the opportunities provided by the Sparks outrebounding the Lynx 30-20

L.A. moves to 4-3 on the year, but continue to trade wins for losses; they’ve yet to string together consecutive victories (or defeats) this season. They’ll get a chance to make it two straight on Tuesday against the struggling New York Liberty.