Candace Parker notched a record-setting triple-double as the visiting Chicago Sky led wire to wire Thursday night in a dominant 82-59 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Parker had 10 points, 10 assists and 14 rebounds for her second triple-double of the season. She became the first player in WNBA history to have three triple-doubles in a career, and the first to have two in the same season.
The 36-year-old veteran piled up all of her stats in just three quarters of play against her former team.
Leading the Sky (12-5) in scoring were Courtney Vandersloot and Azura Stevens, who each had 15 points. Emma Meesseman added 11 points, while Rebekah Gardner had 10.
The Sparks (6-10) fell for the fourth time in their past five games.
Nneka Ogwumike led Los Angeles with 15 points, and Brittney Sykes had 13 points.
The Sky held a 27-12 lead after the first quarter, largely due to Parker’s playmaking. Parker, recently voted to her seventh WNBA All-Star Game, had seven boards, four assists and two points in the first eight minutes of the game.
Chicago continued to pile it on against the struggling Sparks in the second quarter, outscoring them 27-13. The Sky’s Kahleah Copper had a three-point play and sank a 3-pointer in the second. Before the midpoint of the third quarter, the Sky had a 33-point lead.
Overall, the Sky outrebounded the Sparks 49-34. Chicago’s defense was sharp too, holding Los Angeles to just 16.7 percent shooting from behind the arc and 32.9 percent from the floor.
Chicago also shot a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line.
Los Angeles center Liz Cambage played just 16 minutes, finishing with six points on 3-of-7 shooting. Sparks guard Chennedy Carter did not play, even though she wasn’t listed on the injury report.
–Field Level Media
