Layshia Clarendon’s 15 points led a balanced attack on Sunday as the Los Angeles Sparks jumped into the WNBA’s final playoff spot with a week left in the regular season, dumping the visiting Washington Mystics 72-64.
Jordin Canada added 14 points and Dearica Hamby put up a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double as the Sparks (16-21) moved a full game ahead of Chicago in the standings with three games left. The Sky lost earlier Sunday to New York, 86-69.
Brittney Sykes scored 14 points for Washington (17-20), while Li Meng and Myisha Hines-Allen each came off the bench to add 11. Leading scorer Elena Delle Donne made only 4 of 14 shots and finished with eight points, nine under her average.
Los Angeles took the lead for good when Karlie Samuelson and Clarendon converted consecutive three-point plays for a 63-58 advantage with 4:40 left in the game. Canada iced the contest in the final minute by canning four straight free throws.
The Sparks were 21 of 24 at the foul line, while the Mystics made only 6 of 7. Los Angeles also carved out a 19-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Washington got off to a strong start offensively by canning nine of its first 15 shots to open up a 21-19 first-quarter lead. But one troubling sign was already popping up on the stat sheet: A half-dozen turnovers for the Mystics.
The Sparks started the second period with eight straight points, capping the run with a 3-pointer from Samuelson. While Washington fought back and briefly led later in the quarter, Los Angeles took a 38-34 edge to halftime on two free throws by Canada in the final minute.
Clarendon made two foul shots at the 4:59 mark of the third quarter for a 46-38 lead, but the Mystics went on a 14-5 run to end the period. Delle Donne’s turnaround jumper with 3.2 seconds left gave them a 52-51 lead going to the fourth.
–Field Level Media
