Candace Parker's 27 points lead Sparks over Storm 68-62

The win helped the Sparks (13-17) remain 1½ games behind San Antonio for the final playoff spot in the West with less than two weeks left in the regular season.

“If we take care of business,” Parker said, “it’ll be hard for us not to make it.”

Parker, playing in her seventh game since missing 15 with a knee injury, scored 10 of her team’s 17 points in the fourth quarter, including hitting three free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal it.

“She is our go-to person. That’s what we expect from her,” said Sparks forward Tina Thompson, who had 12 points. “We are going to go to her so she can make those plays.”