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Sparks-Mercury Preview

Sep 24, 2009 - 5:33 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Los Angeles (18-16) at Phoenix (23-11), 10:00 p.m. EDT

Since a poor shooting game in the playoff opener, Diana Taurasi has shown why she's led the league in scoring the last two seasons.

Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury look to advance to the WNBA finals for the second time in three seasons Friday night when they host the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

After leading the league with 20.4 points per game this season, Taurasi scored 15 on 5 of 14 shooting from the field in a 92-91 loss at San Antonio in Game 1 of the Western semifinals.

Since that loss, though, Taurasi is averaging 27.3 points per game and shooting 61.2 percent from the floor.

Playing 50 miles from where she starred at Don Lugo High School in Chino, Calif., Taurasi hit four 3-pointers and scored 28 in Wednesday's 103-94 win over the Sparks at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. A Britney Spears concert at Staples Center forced Los Angeles out of its home arena for the series opener.

"I've come to Pauley since I was 12," said Taurasi, selected to her fourth straight first-team All-WNBA team Wednesday. "You walk in and see the (championship) banners. It's a pretty special place. It's the Garden of the West Coast."

After earning their first-ever playoff win over Los Angeles, Taurasi and the Mercury return home as they look to advance to the WNBA finals for the first time since 2007, when they won the franchise's only championship.

Including playoffs, the Mercury are 14-5 at US Airways Center this season. They won two elimination games at home after dropping their playoff opener in San Antonio.

"I know the next game is going to be a battle," Mercury coach Corey Gaines said. "I think we came in and did a good job. I told our players that this is our chance to get them right now and Diana and Cappie (Pondexter) and Penny (Taylor) really led the way."

Pondexter, also a first-team All-WNBA pick, had 15 points and four assists in Game 1 while Taylor hit four 3s and scored 18 off the bench.

The Mercury, who hit 14 3-pointers in Game 1, are averaging 100.0 points in four playoff games after setting a WNBA record in the regular season with 92.8 per contest.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, has not lost hope of winning its first conference championship in six seasons.

"We still believe we can take care of business in Phoenix and send Smooth (Lisa Leslie) out with a ring," Candace Parker said Wednesday after scoring 28 and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Leslie, who will retire at the end of the season, had 19 points and eight boards in Game 1. She is averaging 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the postseason.

In an 89-80 loss at Phoenix on June 19, Leslie sprained her right knee and bruised her right hip. She missed the next 10 games.

The Sparks have lost 12 of 14 road playoff games since winning the 2002 championship.