Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Sparks continued their recent dominance over the Lynx, beating them 81-71 on Tuesday night. And to add more to the sting, a former Lynx reserve did much of the damage early.
Reserve guard Alexis Jones, a deep reserve for Cheryl Reeve the past two seasons, scored 15 points — all in the first half — as the Sparks beat the Lynx for the seventh time in the past eight regular-season games.
Minnesota was within four points, 18-14, after the first quarter, but then the Sparks heated up, outscoring the visitors 31-18 in the second quarter to take a 17-point lead at halftime. The lead grew to 24 after three quarters, 68-44 and as big as 30 points, before the Lynx made a bit of a rally in the fourth.
Candace Parker led the Sparks (16-10), who broke a two-game losing streak, with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Then it was Chelsea Gray with 16 points and Jones, who was 5-for-7 from the field.
Reserve guard Lexie Brown led the Lynx (13-15) with 20 points while Temi Fagbenle, who also came off the bench, had 10. Napheesa Collier was the top scorer among the starters with 14. The Lynx are 3-8 in their past 11 games; the Sparks won 89-85 at Target Center on July 5. The Lynx return to Los Angeles on Sept. 8 for the final game of the regular season.
