LOS ANGELES -- Candace Parker is one game away from getting the Los Angeles Sparks to the WNBA Finals. This time, she doesnt want to miss.Parker had 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 99-84 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 semifinals.My rookie year, it seems like just yesterday, barely missing the finals, said Parker, now in her ninth season. When I left the court, I was like, `Oh, well be back and that hasnt happened.The Sparks havent won the WNBA championship since taking back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, when Lisa Leslie starred for the franchise.Weve learned these opportunities dont just come around and we have to take advantage of it, Parker said.Parker wasnt chosen for the U.S. womens Olympic team that won gold in Rio de Janeiro after helping them to gold medals in 2008 and 2012. But she resisted Chicago coach Pokey Chatmans assessment that shes playing with a chip on her shoulder.I dont think there was anything to prove but that we could get to the finals and were capable of winning a championship, Parker said. Our team has played as such. Thats the way you have to play when you want to put yourself in position to win a championship.League sixth woman of the year Jantel Lavender added 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting, league MVP Nneka Ogwumike had 18, Kristi Toliver 17 and Essence Carson 11 in the Sparks return to their home court at Staples Center. They won Game 1 by 20 points in Long Beach on Wednesday.The Sparks shot 54 percent from the field.Toliver hit four of the Sparks 10 3-pointers. The Sky was 3 of 13 from long-range.Reserve Clarissa Dos Santos scored 15 points and Jamierra Faulkner added 14 off the bench for the Sky. Cappie Pondexter had 13.We didnt start off well, Faulkner said. We allowed them to get comfortable and we cant allow that to happen again.Chicago rallied to close within 10 after trailing by 21 early in the third, led by Courtney Vandersloot and Tamera Young, who finished with 12.The Sparks recovered, going on a 10-1 run that extended their lead to 78-59 going into the fourth. Chelsea Gray had a three-point play and passed to a streaking Lavender, who converted on the fast break before hitting a 20-foot jumper herself.Shes a microwave. Thats what I call her, Parker said of Lavender. She comes and she heats up.Just as in Game 1, the Sparks rode a big second quarter to a dominating lead. Two nights earlier, they scored 30 points in the period. This time, they outscored the Sky 29-15, including a 12-0 run to open the quarter. The offensive load was distributed among four players: Carson had eight points, Ogwumike added seven, and Parker and Lavender had six each.When were playing well and were cheering for each other its always going to be fun, Ogwumike said, and we want it to be that all the way.TIP-INSThe Sparks improved to 5-0 against the Sky, including three regular-season victories. ... Sparks G Alana Beard and Ogwumike were named to the WNBAs All-Defensive first team. ... Brian Agler of the Sparks finished second to Minnesotas Cheryl Reeve in the voting for league coach of the year. ... Sparks co-owner Magic Johnson introduced Olympic track champion Allyson Felix to a standing ovation in the third, drawing a shy smile from the low-key Felix. ... Also on hand was Clippers All-Star Chris Paul, retired Lakers star Derek Fisher and Kiki Vandeweghe, the NBAs vice president of basketball operations.WHAT A SHOTToliver hit a 3-pointer that beat the buzzer to end the first quarter. Sandwiched between two defenders, she tossed up the ball from the left side while falling down, giving the Sparks a 28-27 lead after they had been outscored 11-2.Kristi shoots typical Kristi shots, Ogwumike said. You really cant explain them.STILL SIDELINEDChatman said Sky star Elena Delle Donne would not suit up for Game 3. She watched in street clothes because of a right thumb injury. Delle Donne shared the league scoring title with New Yorks Tina Charles, averaging 21. 5 points.WHATS NEXTGame 3 is Sunday in Chicago. Swell Bottles Sale ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. sWell Traveler Sale . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. http://www.swellwaterbottlesale.com/ . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. sWell Marble Water Bottle . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Swell Water Bottle Cheap .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. The NFL is reviewing two plays Sunday by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict -- a low hit on New England Patriots?tight end?Martellus Bennett, who said Burfict apologized after the game and stated it wasnt intentional, and an alleged stomp on Patriots running back?LeGarrette Blount after a late touchdown.The Bennett play came with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Patriots 35-17 win, on third-and-2. Burfict was seen lunging at the lower left leg/knee of Bennett as a pass was thrown downfield to receiver Danny Amendola for a 17-yard gain. Burficts lunge might have been the result of quarterback?Tom Bradys pump fake in that direction. Burfict also appeared to stub his left toe as he reacted to the fake.Regarding the second play, coaches film of the game appeared to show Burfict deliberately stepping on Blounts leg after his late fourth-quarter touchdown run, as Blount lay on the ground.?In reference to the first play, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said he wasnt concerned because the league looks at every play.He goes on the pump fake, Lewis said. We were coaching him to keep his head up in order to make a better football play and not react as hard as he can. He [Brady] pump-faked a couple of times and ended up getting sacks, or he pump-faked a couple of times and made plays for them, and that was one of them.From our coaching standpoint, we want to make sure, as we come in to defend the ball, we are able to defend with the arms so you have the chance to get the ball loose and off of them.Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday that the Patriots would let the league talk about that play. Its their decision.A replay on the CBS broadcast showed that Bennett was slow to get up after the hit.Things happen in a game. It usually doesnt happen that way, but he apologized. He said he didnt try to do it, Bennett said after the game. Its part of the game.Burfict was also seen helping Bennett up after tackling him on one play.?A players history can factor into potential NFL discipline. Burfict has been fined $204,329 since entering the league in 2012, not including three lost game checks for a total of $502,941 in base salary this season.A decision on potential discipline foor Burfict is expected no later than Wednesday afternoon, a league source told ESPN.dddddddddddd NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan and his staff have been reviewing tape of the two on-field incidents.Burfict has not been fined this season since returning in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. He was suspended for the first three games of 2016 for repeated violations of player safety in the Bengals-Steelers AFC wild-card game last season, including a hit on Antonio Brown that resulted in a concussion for the wide receiver.Late in Sundays game, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was penalized for taunting. On the play before, he butted helmets with Burfict as emotions were rising.Gronkowski said after the game that he hadnt seen Burficts low hit on Bennett, and added, It didnt affect anything.During Bradys weekly interview on sports radio WEEI on Monday, the QB said he didnt see the low hit.You have to deal with that sometimes, Brady said. I think we were dealing with that most of the day. ... I havent seen it, so Im sure Ill have some different thoughts.Later in the interview, when asked if Gronkowskis taunting penalty is the type of penalty that is OK to accept based on the circumstances, Brady said, It always gets kind of chippy with the Bengals. Theyve had a history of that with particular players on their team, and it just kept going back and forth. Gronk was making a bunch of good plays on them, and Im sure they didnt like it.Its just one of those things. Id rather us not take those. Id rather us just be poised and get back to the huddle and make them pay on the scoreboard, but sometimes in football, it just happens.Asked whether he views the Bengals as a dirty team, Brady answered, I think they just play a tough, physical style, and when they hit you, they hit you hard. I dont say dirty. Ive never said that about any team. Its football. Its a physical sport. Some teams play more physical than others. The trademark of that team is to read the quarterback and break on the quarterback and hit hard. Thats how its been for a long time. ' ' '
