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Thursday’s WNBA games are now complete! Here are the recaps:
Fever upset Wings, 84-78, avoid tying for worst WNBA season record
The Fever raced out to a 24-point lead in the second quarter and held on late to beat the Dallas Wings. Cappie Pondexter led the Fever with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
.@cappa23 hit a strong 18 PTS tonight and helped the @IndianaFever get the win at home!
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 3, 2018
Check out some of her best moments from tonight's #WNBA action! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/li9YeTiMeM
Six Fever players scored in double figures in a balanced attack over Dallas, who was without Skylar Diggins-Smith. She did not play due to a facial injury.
.@ecambage dropped a big 37 PTS, 9 REB for the @DallasWings in tonight's #WNBA action! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/rUhY2IN6wi
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 3, 2018
For Dallas, Liz Cambage scored 37 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the loss, one day after her seventh technical foul of the season was rescinded by the league.
The Fever are now 4-23 in the 2018 season, which also helps them avoid tying a WNBA-worst 3-31 season that the 2011 Tulsa Shock had. Coincidentally, that team is now Dallas.
Sparks beat Lynx, 79-57, thanks to strong start
Candace Parker scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Chelsea Gray added 18 more points to lead the Sparks to a blowout win over the Lynx, and a tiebreaker over last year’s WNBA champions. Sylvia Fowles was the only Minnesota player to score in double figures. She had 14 points.
The Sparks started the game strong, with a 20-8 first quarter, that held the Lynx to just 25 percent shooting and forced them to commit four turnovers. Meanwhile, Parker dominated the quarter by scoring 10 points in that period alone.
What a GAME for @Candace_Parker! ️
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 3, 2018
Parker's double-double (23 PTS, 10 REB) helped lead the @LA_Sparks to the W today, as they stay hot in their playoff push! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/ue0xmoMa7w
From there, the Lynx weren’t able to do much to slow down LA and the wheels came off in the fourth quarter when Minnesota’s bench took the floor.
Playoff standings update
The Storm (20-7) and Dream (16-10) remain the WNBA’s top two teams. Meanwhile, the Sparks (16-11) regain third place in the WNBA standings with Thursday’s win over the Lynx (15-11) who are now in fourth place. The Mystics are in fifth place (15-11) while the Phoenix Mercury (16-12) are sixth. The Sun (15-12) have won three in a row and the Wings (14-13) are eighth. The Aces (12-14) are in ninth place and just 1.5 games behind the Wings for that last playoff spot. Given that Dallas is slumping while the Aces have won seven of their last 10 games, don’t be surprised to see things get much more interesting in the coming days.