Seimone Augustus scored 29 points and rookie Candice Wiggins had 19 as the Lynx defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 88-70 with a dominating fourth quarter on Thursday at Staples Center.
Minnesota (9-8) led 56-55 after three quarters but then went on a 15-0 run to start the fourth quarter.
Augustus started the run with a three-pointer, and also had the last three points of the run with a three-point play the more traditional way, on a drive and a free throw.
Los Angeles (10-6), which dropped to second place in the Western Conference with the loss, finally scored when Lisa Leslie got a basket to make it 71-57 after about 3 1/2 minutes.
Leslie, a 6-5 center, finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Candace Parker, a 6-4 forward, fouled out late in the fourth quarter with only 12 points.
The Sparks had beaten the Lynx five times in a row on their home court.
This was Los Angeles' third loss in a row and, in each game, the Sparks had bad fourth quarters.
Augustus started the game hot. She scored nine of the Lynx's first 11 points. Besides her shooting, she also had four of the Lynx's eight steals and four assists.
A third Lynx player in double figures was guard Anna DeForge with 11 points. Rookie center Nicky Anosike had nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Lynx shot 50 percent from the field (31-for-62) and made five of 14 three-pointers.
The Sparks shot only 36.8 percent and were a woeful three of 20 behind the arc.
