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Sparks-Lynx Preview

Jul 26, 2010 - 9:07 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Los Angeles (7-16) at Minnesota (7-14), 8:00 p.m. EDT

When Los Angeles played Minnesota last month, the Sparks lost their star player for the season, placing their hopes for a playoff berth in jeopardy.

Los Angeles, however, can move into a tie with the Lynx for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference when the teams meet Tuesday night.

Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom will be making her return to the Target Center. Gillom was named Minnesota's coach three days before the start of the 2009 season with the team looking for its first playoff appearance since 2004. After a promising start, the Lynx struggled when Seimone Augustus went down with a torn ACL and finished 14-20.

Gillom has faced similar adversity with the Sparks (7-16), who lost Candace Parker to a dislocated shoulder in an 88-84 win over Minnesota (7-14) on June 13.

The Sparks improved to 4-9 since losing their star with an 89-80 win over Connecticut on Saturday. They hit a franchise-record 15 3-pointers and had five players score in double figures.

DeLisha Milton-Jones led the team with 20 points and went 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

The win moved Los Angeles within a game of the Lynx for the final postseason spot.

"We'll take any win that we can get right now," said point guard Ticha Penicheiro, who scored 17 points. "We play well in spurts but we never put a 40-minute game together. Today was the same thing. We took a 17-point lead and they came back and got within three points and I said to myself, 'Uh oh, here we go again.' But we were able to stick it out, make shots when we needed to and get stops when we needed them."

Los Angeles improved to 2-10 on the road. It plays its next two away from home, closing out its four-game trip against New York on Friday.

The Sparks appear to be facing the Lynx at the right time. Minnesota has dropped three straight and is coming off a 127-124 double-overtime home loss to Phoenix on Saturday, the highest-scoring game in WNBA history.

Augustus scored a season-high 36 points and Charde Houston added 21, but the Lynx missed six free throws in the final 1:16 of regulation.

Their three straight losses have come by a combined seven points.

"It's tough because we feel like we're almost there, but we can't get over the hump," said forward Rebekkah Brunson, who had 19 points and a franchise-record 17 rebounds Saturday.

The Lynx have dropped a half-game behind San Antonio for third place and 2 1/2 behind second-place Phoenix. They visit the Mercury on Thursday.

Minnesota has lost four in a row to Los Angeles.