Sparks win 10th straight at home, top Fever 98-65
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike had 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 98-65 on Thursday night for their 10th straight win at home.
The Sparks, 11-2 at Staples Center this season, became the fourth WNBA team to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Eleven of the 12 players for the Sparks scored, including six in double figures. Chiney Ogwumike scored 15 points, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt added 11, and Chelsea Gray, Riquna Williams and Kalani Brown each had 10 for Los Angeles (17-10).
Williams returned from a 10-game suspension stemming from a domestic violence incident. She was 4 of 12 from the field, 1 of 8 from distance, in 28 minutes.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 14 points for Indiana (9-19), which has lost three straight. Indiana was outscored 29-13 in the second quarter and 27-11 in the third.
LYNX 86, WINGS 70
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 19 points, Damiris Dantas had 17 points and a career-high eight assists, and Minnesota beat Dallas.
Minnesota scored the first five points of the game, never trailed and led by as many as 23 points to end a three-game losing streak. The Wings trailed by at least 15 points the entire second half.
Danielle Robinson added 14 points and Sylvia Fowles scored 12 for Minnesota (14-15). Fowles and Collier combined for 24 first-half points as Minnesota led 47-32.
Minnesota, trying for its ninth straight trip to the playoffs, is tied with Phoenix for seventh in the WNBA standings, four games ahead of Indiana for the final two spots.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 10 of her 22 points in the first quarter for Dallas (9-19). Allisha Gray added 16 points. The Wings were outrebounded 35-25.
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders sat courtside.