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Mercury-Sparks Preview

Jul 4, 2009 - 6:16 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Writer

Phoenix (7-4) at Los Angeles (3-5), 9:30 p.m. EDT

The spotlight will undoubtedly be on reigning league MVP and rookie of the year Candace Parker when she makes her season debut for the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday night.

A portion of the attention, however, might be diverted because of the controversy surrounding Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi.

After missing the team's first eight games while on maternity leave, Parker will take the court for the Sparks when they host the Mercury, who expect to have Taurasi in the lineup three days after she was cited for drunken driving.

Parker was cleared by doctors to practice Tuesday for the first time since giving birth to her first child May 13. Though it's been less than a week since her return to the court, she says she's ready to help the short-handed Sparks (3-5), who will be without star center Lisa Leslie for at least another week because of a knee injury.

"I feel like I'm really beginning to get my rhythm back," Parker said. "This was a great week of practice, and it felt good to be with my teammates on the court. I'm not expecting to play 30 minutes, but I definitely can't wait to get back out on the floor."

Parker became the first player in WNBA history to win MVP and rookie of the year honors last season after finishing fifth in the league in scoring with 18.5 points per game and first in rebounding (9.5). She helped Los Angeles win 20 regular-season games before losing to San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.

"We're extremely happy to have her back," coach Michael Cooper said. "After watching her practice this week, it looks like she can play some minutes. It's a huge addition for us and a big game for her to come back.

"Obviously she isn't 100 percent and we will take things slowly but clearly Candace, even at less than 100 percent, is an incredible player."

Phoenix's top player will get her share of attention Sunday as well.

Taurasi, the WNBA's leading fan vote-getter for the July 25 All-Star game, was stopped for speeding early Thursday morning after scoring 22 points in a 93-81 win over Seattle on Wednesday night. The officer smelled alcohol and gave the three-time All-Star and 2004 rookie of the year several field sobriety tests before citing and releasing her.

After Friday's practice, Taurasi told reporters that the situation was "just something that's embarrassing and unfortunate for my family and the organization."

Taurasi said she couldn't comment on the specifics of the incident because it was a legal matter, but said, "personally, I'm going to have to do some things to make it straight."

The Mercury (7-4) are tied at the top of the conference, but they've dropped three of their four road games.

The Sparks are 3-0 at home, where they routed Seattle 82-55 in their last game last Sunday. Marie Ferdinand-Harris had a season-high 15 points to lead five Los Angeles players scoring in double figures.

Parker made her WNBA debut against Phoenix last May, finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 99-94 road victory. She averaged 26.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists as the clubs split four meetings in 2008.

Taurasi, who led the league with 24.1 points per game last season, was held to 21.0 while shooting 34.7 percent from the field against the Sparks in 2008.