LOS ANGELES – Kristi Toliver scored 15 points, and Lindsey Harding and Alana Beard each added 13 to help the Los Angeles Sparks remain unbeaten at home with a 77-73 win over the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 12 points for the Sparks (11-4), who won their six straight overall and improved to 9-0 at home. Los Angeles extended its regular-season home winning streak to 19.
Harding made five free throws in the final 1:19, the last giving the Sparks a 74-68 lead. Angel McCoughtry sank a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds remaining to pull Atlanta to 75-73 before Toliver made two free throws.
McCoughty scored 24 points to lead Atlanta (10-4), which played its second straight game without Sancho Lyttle (foot) and Tiffany Hayes (knee) because of injuries. Armintie Herrington scored 18 points, while Erika DeSouza had 15 points and 18 rebounds as the Dream lost three straight regular season games for the first time since it opened 0-3 in 2011.
The Sparks won despite being outscored 48-26 in the paint.
Candace Parker, who won Best WNBA Player at the ESPY Awards being held across the street from Staples Center, had one of her worst scoring games this season with six points on 2-for-10 shooting. But she grabbed 10 rebounds, made a key block with 1:43 remaining and grabbed a rebound off McCoughtry's miss with less than a minute left.
Ebony Hoffman made a jumper to give Los Angeles a 69-58 lead but Atlanta scored the next six points.
Hoffman made a reverse layup before Jenna O' Hea completed a four-point play on a step-through 3-pointer and ensuing free throw to make it 67-56.
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