Nneka Ogwumike reaches milestone as Sparks rally for sixth consecutive win
ATLANTA — Nneka Ogwumike scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 100th career double-double and Sparks erased a 16-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Dream 83-78 on Friday night for their sixth straight win.
Azurá Stevens added 18 points, Jordin Canada had 15 with nine assists and six steals and Layshia Clarendon scored 14, including the clinching free throws with 11.2 seconds left.
The Sparks (15-18), who have battled injuries all year but started the same lineup for the seventh straight game, pulled into a tie with Washington for the seventh playoff spot 2½ games ahead of Chicago.
Azurá Stevens had 20 points, Karlie Samuelson scored a career-high 15 points and the Sparks beat the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 91-62.
Cheyenne Parker led the Dream (16-18) with 22 points. Rhyne Howard had 15 points, Danielle Robinson 12 and Monique Billings 10 with 10 rebounds.
Dearica Hamby’s three-pointer with 6:32 to play put the Sparks up for good at 71-68. Ogwumike had six straight points down the stretch to hold off Atlanta, which has lost five of six.
The Dream made all five of their three-pointers and shot 64% in the first half to open a 52-39 lead at the break. Atlanta turned a two-point lead near the middle of the second quarter into a 16-point lead when Howard drilled a three 14 seconds before halftime.
The Dream took a 64-62 lead into the fourth quarter, however they missed all five threes in the second half and finished with 48% shooting.
The Dream were without All-Star guard Allisha Gray for a second straight game because of an ankle injury. The team announced Thursday that Nia Coffey would miss the remainder of the season with a hand injury.
