Recaps: Sparks avoid sweep, Wings and Aces win big

Tuesday’s WNBA action featured an afternoon thriller and two huge evening victories. Here’s what happened in yesterday’s games.

Los Angeles Sparks (77) vs. Seattle Storm (75) – in OT

As soon as it seemed like Seattle had the game locked, the Sparks came back, holding the Storm to single-digit efforts in the fourth quarter and overtime to beat the home team in a close result. Los Angeles was led by Candace Parker’s 21 points, and whose turnaround hook shot with just over a minute to go ended up being the difference in the game. Parker also had 10 assists, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks, making her the first player in WNBA history to put up these numbers in a game. Essence Carson had a big game off the bench for the Sparks, adding 18 points. For Seattle, Natasha Howard led the team with 18 points, while Breanna Stewart had 14 points and 13 rebounds. With this win, the Sparks avoid a three-game season sweep at the hands of the Storm.

Dallas Wings (101) vs. Phoenix Mercury (72)

The Wings jumped out to a 13-point first quarter lead and never looked back, handing the Mercury their second straight loss while picking up their league-leading fourth straight win. Skylar Diggins-Smith registered yet another 20-point game to lead Dallas in scoring, helped by Aerial Powers’ 18 and Azurá Stevens’ 15, both off the bench. Brittney Griner led all scorers for the Mercury with 21 points, closely followed by DeWanna Bonner’s 20. Yvonne Turner was the only other Phoenix player to reach double figures, scoring 10. Leilani Mitchell stepped up after Diana Taurasi left the game after just four and a half minutes due to illness, registering 8 assists to go with 7 points. The Wings shot over 50 percent for the game, and every player who saw playing time scored.

Las Vegas Aces (98) vs. Chicago Sky (74)

While the Sky got out to an early lead, the Aces ran away with the game beginning in the second quarter and never looked back en route to a big win in Chicago. Kayla McBride led all scorers with 18 points, while Tamera Young had 16, Kelsey Plum had 14 and A’ja Wilson added 12. Both Young and Dearica Hamby grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds, as did Chicago’s Cheyenne Parker. Diamond DeShields proved her rookie status is just a formality once more, leading the Sky with 15 points. Allie Quigley had 12 points to go with 6 assists, while Courtney Vandersloot added 11 points and maintained her league lead in assists with 8. The Aces shot nearly 10 percent better than the Sky, even going 6-for-12 from three, and now own the league’s second-highest active win streak at three games.