Lynx-Sparks Preview

The top two teams in the WNBA will battle for sole possession of first place in the Western Conference when the Los Angeles Sparks play host to the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles (24-5) and Minnesota (24-5) are tied atop the Western Conference standings, 11 games ahead of the third-place Phoenix Mercury. Los Angeles is 12-1 at home. Minnesota is 10-3 on the road.

Momentum seems to be on the side of the Lynx, who are 9-1 in their last 10 games while the Sparks have gone 6-4.

Los Angeles has won three in a row since losing its first two games after the monthlong Olympic break. The Sparks are coming off an 88-81 victory over the Indiana Fever on Sunday.

Nneka Ogwumike had 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Sparks, who shot 57.4 percent from the field. Candace Parker scored 19 points and Kristi Toliver added 18.

Minnesota lost to the Connecticut Sun 84-80 in its first game after the break but has won three in a row since then, including a 94-79 victory over Connecticut on Sunday.

Maya Moore scored 24 points for the Lynx, who shot 53.7 percent from the field and forced 18 turnovers. Sylvia Fowles had 18 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

Los Angeles and Minnesota are meeting for the third time this season. This will be the last time the teams face each other during the regular season.

The Lynx beat the Sparks 72-69 on June 21 in Los Angeles. The Sparks avenged that loss three days later, beating the Lynx 94-76 on June 24 in Minneapolis.

In the first game, Seimone Augustus scored 13 points, Rebekkah Brunson and Natasha Howard added 12 points apiece, and Renee Montgomery made a late 3-pointer to help Minnesota prevail.

In the second game, Toliver scored 25 points and Ogwumike had 20 as Los Angeles ended Minnesota's WNBA-record streak of 13 consecutive victories to start a season.