Candace Parker notched her 10th double-double of the season, and Tina Thompson led the squad in scoring as the Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Connecticut Sun, 91-81, in front of 11,072 at Staples Center on Sunday evening.

The Sparks (15-14) have won seven of their last eight games, relying on a balanced attack to win on Sunday with 46 points inside the paint, perfect free-throw shooting and 26 bench points.

With the victory, the Sparks now lead San Antonio (12-17) and Minnesota (12-17) by three games and sit in the third playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Parker finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Thompson added 21 points and nine rebounds. Marie Ferdinand-Harris added 12 off the bench.

For the Sun, Anete Jekabsone-Zogota had 21 points, Tan White added 20 and Lindsay Whalen finished with 15 points and nine assists.

“We limped to the finish line,” Sparks Head Coach Michael Cooper said. “But a win is a win. However it is, we’ll take them.”

The Sparks head to San Antonio on Saturday, then host the Silver Stars Tuesday at Staples Center.



All stats as of Aug. 31.