Lindsay Whalen delivered in the clutch again, lifting Minnesota over Indiana, 66-64. Here's the photo gallery.
The Mystics lost their tenth straight, and the Dream clinched a playoff spot as they took the 82-74 victory. And somehow, Trudi Lacey hasn't been fired yet. Appalling.
The Silver Stars squashed the Jackson- and Bird-less Storm, 90-66. Photos.
Diana Taurasi sat out again, as did DeWanna Bonner. This helped the Shock upend the Mercury, 92-84. And Phoenix still won't issue a statement as to whether or not Taurasi will sit out the remainder of the team's games this season.
(Can you tell that the Mystics and Mercury higher-ups aren't impressing me this season?)
And the Sparks withstood a late-game Sun run to pull out a crucial 93-82 home court win.
Game quotes:
Sun Coach Mike Thibault
On the second half…
“I don’t have a feel for where the game got away from us. Think it started more with our bad offense than our defense. We don’t have the size to handle all the length of LA right now. Hopefully we’ll be healthy enough to win if we get the chance to play them again.”
On the post play of Tina Charles and Nneka Ogwumike…
“That had to be an entertaining game for everyone else out there. Tina battled Nneka on the defensive end and she kept fighting because that’s just how she plays. There’s a reason why she’s an MVP candidate, I’m just getting used to it because I get to see her play every night.”
On the defensive strategy…
“We tried to make Toliver uncomfortable and ran people at Parker, but they’re a deep team all the way through. They have a lot of veteran players who know how to win.”
Sun center Tina Charles
On the late Sparks run…
“The fourth quarter definitely put us in a hole, but a couple years ago we were always down 15 or so and could come back from it. Now the next step is containing the loss and not getting turnovers.”
On the effect of the road trip…
“I don’t think the road-trip has had any effect on us. We were just on a 10-day road-trip before this and we won three out of our four games, so I think we’ve definitely matured as a team.”
Sparks Coach Carol Ross
On Parker guarding Tina Charles in the second quarter…
“When I told her she was guarding Tina, she said it was about time. That’s the response you want. Parker certainly asserted herself on defense.”
On Kristi Toliver…
“Toliver wants to win. If we needed to get 30, she would do that. If we needed her to distribute, she’d do that. Toliver is at her best when she’s scoring and assisting.”
On the play of the Sparks bench…
“It’s been a work in progress, a lot of injuries and change. They’re coming around, and I think they’re getting more comfortable in their roles, especially getting them in during the first half.”
On the play of Candace Parker...
“She’s a competitor and competitor’s love challenges. She’s going to rise up. And tonight’s a great example of a player who can actually do that.”
Sparks forward Candace Parker
On the play of the team…
“We knew we had to win this game to clinch second place. We just want to continue to get better going into playoffs. I know myself, I haven’t played extremely well since the break, so my teammates have done a good job of motivating me, continuing to believe in me. Today, coming into halftime we made more of an effort to really try to get post touches, so I think Nneka did a good job of carrying us in the first half, and the second half I really tried to step up my game.”
On the Sun…
“We might play them in the Finals. Connecticut’s a great team. Tina Charles is a fantastic player, and she’s putting up great numbers night in and night out.”
On fatigue...
“I don’t like to admit weakness but, I think everybody’s a little tired, honestly. I started playing basketball last October, and it’s almost been a year. You hit that wall and you have to build your way back up, so hopefully I’m on my way up.”
Sparks guard Kristi Toliver
On possibly playing the Sun again…
“We could easily see them in the Finals. We definitely wanted to make a statement beating them twice. If it comes to that, they can remember that they can’t beat us.”
On her own play tonight...
“For me personally, I wanted to be more aggressive tonight, especially after last game where I didn’t assert myself as much. We wanted to dominate the paint tonight and get to the rim and control that area.”
Sparks forward DeLisha Milton-Jones
On the Sun…
“I hope that we’ll meet them again. They’re a great team, very well coached. They’re fun to play against because you can always expect a good matchup. We were battling bucket for buckets in the first half, and I didn’t expect anything different in the second half."
No games today, which is the first I can recall such an occasion on a Saturday. It's a blessing, though....players need rest.
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