Monday 16 September 2019 15:22, UK
The Los Angeles Sparks came through their single-elimination second-round playoff game with defending-champion Seattle.
Chelsea Gray had 21 points and eight assists, Candace Parker added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, as the Sparks beat the Storm 92-69 on Sunday as they advanced to a meeting with second-seeded Connecticut Sun, who earned a double-bye to the semi-finals.
The best-of-five series begins Tuesday in Connecticut.
The Sparks won two of their three meetings with the Sun (23-11) in the regular season. The last came in Los Angeles on August 25 and snapped Connecticut's four-game win streak, knocking the Sun from the top of the WNBA standings, one game behind the Washington Mystics.
''We're fortunate enough to now get into Connecticut tonight as opposed to tomorrow,'' Sparks coach Derek Fisher said. ''So, hopefully that will help us.
''We know they (the Sun) are good at home. We know the crowd is going to be into it but we are going to have to lean on our defense.''
Dearica Hamby hit a shot from a few steps inside halfcourt with five seconds left to lift Las Vegas Aces to a 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky.
Las Vegas will play Washington in the best-of-five semi-finals.
Hamby admitted after the game that she didn't know how much time was left when she released her go-ahead basket.
''I didn't realise we had so much time on the clock,'' she said. ''Had I missed it, I never would have been able to live with it. So glad we won.''
The Aces lost two of three against Washington in the regular season, with each team winning on its opponent's home court.
