Gray scores season-high 27 points, Sparks beat Sun 80-76

BRADENTON, Fla. — Chelsea Gray scored a season-high 27 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 17 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Connecticut Sun 80-76 on Friday night.

The game was the second of three in the WNBA bubble Friday after play was postponed the previous two days following the weekend shooting of Jacob Blake

Down 63-59 entering the forth quarter, Los Angeles (11-3) but took the lead at the 5:01 mark on a 3-pointer by Gray. She added another 3-pointer on the Sparks’ next possession to make it 75-71. Connecticut only made one field goal in the final two minutes, getting outscored 21-13 in the frame.

Rookie Te’a Cooper scored 14 points and Candace Parker had 12 points and seven assists for Los Angeles. Parker was 5 of 8 from the field to move into 12th on the WNBA career list for field goals.

Alyssa Thomas had 19 points and nine rebounds for Connecticut (6-9),

LYNX 88, DREAM 79

Rookie Crystal Dangerfield scored 23 points, and Napheesa Collier had 19 points and 12 rebounds to help Minnesota beat Atlanta,

Dangerfield reached 20 points for the fourth time this season, the most by a Lynx rookie since Maya Moore had five in 2011. Odyssey Sims added 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Minnesota (10-4).

Betnijah Laney led Atlanta (3-12) with 22 points and five assists. Courtney Williams scored 17 points.

MERCURY 94, MYSTICS 72

Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 11 of her 24 points in a decisive third quarter in Phoenix’s victory over Washington.

Each quarter started with the team taking the ball getting a 24-second violation to promote social justice and encourage people to fill out a census and register to vote.

Diggins-Smith was 6 of 8 from 3-point rage in her her fifth 20-plus game of the season. Phoenix (8-7) made 13 of 26 behind the arc, and outscored Washington 61-31 in the second half. Diana Taurasi added 14 points, six rebounds and seven assists for Phoenix.

Bria Hartley was helped off the floor in the first quarter and did not return for Phoenix. She sat on the bench in the second half with ice on her right knee and crutches by her side.

Leilani Mitchell led Washington (4-10) with 17 points.

The Associated Press