Candace Parker had 15 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double in four games as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Washington Mystics 70-59 in the WNBA on Saturday. The Sparks (3-1) led by as many as 16 in the third quarter but fell behind by a point on Nakia Sanford's putback with just over 6 minutes left in the game. However, Los Angeles closed with an 18-6 run to extend its strong start while opening the season on a five-game road trip. Lisa Leslie scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for the Sparks. DeLisha Milton-Jones, playing for the first time in Washington since being dealt for Taj McWilliams-Franklin on April 22, added 12. Monique Currie scored 15 points for the Mystics (2-3), who shot a season-low 31.9 percent. Lynx 94, Mercury 83: At Minneapolis, Seimone Augustus scored 22 points to lead four players in double-figures as undefeated Minnesota beat winless defending champion Phoenix. Charde Houston had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Candice Wiggins had 17 points and 12 assists – the first career double-doubles for both Lynx rookies. Vanessa Hayden-Johnson added 10 points to help the Lynx (4-0) extend the best start in franchise history. Shock 74, Fever 65: At Indianapolis, Katie Smith scored 19 points and Detroit used a 13-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to beat Indiana.
