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Sports

Lavender leads Sparks past Shock, 84-73

Associated Press
Published | Updated

LOS ANGELES – Jantel Lavender had 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Tulsa Shock 84-73 on Friday night.

The Sparks (14-19) snapped a two-game losing streak and won for only the second time in six games despite missing leading scorer and rebounder Candace Parker, who sat out for precautionary reasons after her right knee flared up.

Ticha Penicheiro scored 13 points and Kristi Toliver added 12 for the Sparks.

Andrea Riley and Liz Cambage each scored 18 points for the Shock (3-30), who lost their fifth straight game.

Starting in place of Parker, Lavender scored 13 points in the first half. She sat out a long stretch of the second half after she picked up her fourth and fifth fouls in an 18-second span in the third quarter.

The Sparks led from 6-4 and didn't let the Shock come within single digits in the fourth quarter. They avenged an Aug. 26 loss to Tulsa in which the Shock snapped a WNBA-record, 20-game losing streak.

"We wanted to have revenge, but we just knew we had to go out and play hard," Lavender said.

"We knew they were going to come in and play with some kind of confidence because they did beat us and we were a part of three wins for the season. We just had to come out and play hard tonight because they are a good team and play well together."

Lavender had no points in three of her previous four games and reached double-digit scoring for the second time in 10 games.

"She worked well on the pick-and-roll set because she rolls deep to the basket," Sparks coach Joe Bryant said. "It was good for her."

Bryant said Parker will be a game-time decision for the Sparks' season finale Saturday.

"We're not in the playoffs, so it's really caring more about the player," Bryant said. "It's important for her to get a full recovery."

Parker missed 15 games with torn cartilage in her right knee earlier this season. She is averaging 18.9 points and a team-leading 8.9 rebounds.

Tulsa was also without its leading scorer, point guard Ivory Latta, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in her left knee. She was averaging 12.2 points.