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Needing only one win to keep Lisa Leslie's WNBA career going, the Sparks fell to the Phoenix Mercury 85-74 in the Western Conference semi-finals - ending LA's season and Leslie's career. With the win, the Mercury advance to the WNBA Finals against Indiana, who defeated Detroit to advance in the East.

Leslie, who announced her retirement before the start of the season and reiterated it several times during the year - including on Friday - finished with 22 points and had nine rebounds before fouling out of the game at the 1:39 mark in the fourth. Betty Lennox added 19 points, while Leslie's former USC teammate Tina Thompson had 13 for the Sparks and Delisha Milton-Jones seven. Candace Parker only scored six points but had nine rebounds in the loss.

Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 21 points while Le'Coe Willingham had 17 and Cappie Poindexter scored 12.

The Mercury scored 36 points in the third quarter to blow open the game against the Sparks and they eventually won it 104-89 at Staples Center.

Phoenix (8-4) spoiled the return of Candace Parker, who played for the first time this season after returning from maternity leave. Parker didn't start the game but had six points, four rebounds and two assists in her return.

Parker came in for the first time with a little more than five minutes left in the first quarter and looked a little rusty and was used as a decoy frequently. She scored her first two points from the free throw line. Sparks coach Michael Cooper played her sparingly in her return and she played a little more than 20 minutes in the game.

Betty Lennox and Tina Thompson both had 17 points for the Sparks (3-6) while Delisha Milton-Jones added 15 and Marie Ferdinand-Harris scored 13.

The game was close in the first half - with several of the high scoring Mercury in foul trouble - but Phoenix made adjustments in the third quarter and ran away with it with scoring outbursts by Diana Taurasi (who finished with 20 points) and Cappie Ponndexter, who had 21.

Thompson, Ferdinand-Harris and Milton-Jones are shouldering the load for the Sparks as Parker returns to form and Lisa Leslie continues to sit out due to a knee injury. Leslie should be returning to the lineup around the All-Star Game which is in late July.

Ebony Hoffman scored 14 points, and the Indiana Fever matched their season-high with nine 3-pointers to hold off the Sparks 73-61 tonight.

Tamika Catchings had 13 points and Katie Douglas added 11 for the Fever (2-2), who have won two consecutive games, after dropping their first two.

Lisa Leslie led the Sparks (now 1-3) with 21 points and 13 rebounds--her first double-double of the season.

Indiana opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run and closed it with a 13-5 flurry to turn an eight-point halftime lead into a 63-44 lead.

Leading scorer Betty Lennox appeared to injure her right knee early in the second half. Nothing else is known about her injury at this time

After an opening home win, the Sparks have dropped their last three.

The Minnesota Lynx hosted the Sparks and defeated them 87-76, dropping Los Angeles to 1-2.
Former Lynx player Betty Lennox led the Sparks with 25 and Lisa Leslie had 11 points and eight rebounds, but fouled out late in the third quarter. In the same part of the game, the Lynx went on a 16-3 run to erase a Sparks five point lead.

The Lynx led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter before the Sparks cut the advantage to 80-74 with two minutes left. Candice Wiggins - who had 17 points for Minnesota - then hit a pair of free-throws and the Lynx pulled away.

Seimone Augustus led the Lynx - who have started the season with three straight wins - with 30 points. Minnesota won their first five games last year, but then finished the season tied with the worst record.

Quotes from the players and coaches about last nights game are below: