LOS ANGELES – Diana Taurasi scored 30 points and the Phoenix Mercury rallied in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 86-75 on Thursday night in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Candice Dupree added 16 points and DeWanna Bonner had 13 for the Mercury, which snapped the Sparks' six-game home winning streak. Phoenix has dealt the Sparks two of their three losses at Staples Center this season.
Newly crowned WNBA MVP Candace Parker led the Sparks with 28 points, and Lindsey Harding added 16. Nneka Ogwumike had 14 rebounds. The Sparks were 15-2 at home during the regular season, tied for the best mark in the league.
Game 2 in the best-of-3 series is Saturday at Phoenix.
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