Sparks blow out short-handed Mercury for 5th straight victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Azura Stevens had 20 points and nine rebounds, Karlie Samuelson scored a career-high 15 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 91-62 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory.

Jordin Canada and Zia Cooke each added 11 points for Los Angeles (14-18), which shot a season-high 54% from the field.

Phoenix (9-24), which has lost four straight games, was without stars Brittney Griner (health and safety protocol) and Diana Taurasi (left toe).

Los Angeles scored 14 of the final 15 points of the first quarter to take a 30-15 lead. The Sparks were ahead 44-30 at halftime behind 14 points from Stevens.

Samuelson made a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to give Los Angeles a 60-38 lead.

Sophie Cunningham led the Mercury with 16 points. Megan Gustafson had 14 points and eight rebounds and Liz Dixon scored 12.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball