Charles leads Mystics past Sky

CHICAGO — Tina Charles had 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to help the Washington Mystics beat the Chicago Sky 79-71 on Sunday.

The Mystics (12-18) — who played without Elena Delle Donne (back), Ariel Atkins (personal reasons) and Myisha Hines-Allen (nonCOVID illness) — have a onegame lead, with two games to play, over the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty for the final playoff spot.

Charles scored 10 points and hit two of Washington’s five 3-pointers during a 21-1 run that gave the Mystics the lead for good. Chicago went scoreless over the last four minutes of the first quarter as the Mystics ripped off 15 consecutive points. After a defensive 3-seconds technical foul, Allie Quigley made a free throw to snap a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes but Charles and Leilani Mitchell made backto-back 3s to cap the spurt and made it 30-15 with 7:08 left in the first half.

Chicago (15-15) needs to win one of its final two games to secure the No. 6 seed — and a first-round game at home — in the playoffs.

LYNX 90, FEVER 80: In Minneapolis, Napheesa Collier had 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists and a career-high tying four steals to help Minnesota beat Indiana.

The Lynx (20-10), who play at Indiana on Friday before their regular-season finale at Washington on Sunday, moved into a third-place tie with the defending champion Seattle Storm — one game ahead of Phoenix.

The top four teams earn a first-round playoff bye.

Sylvia Fowles added 18 points and eight rebounds, Aerial Powers had 17 points, Kayla McBride scored 12 and Crystal Dangerfield 11 for Minnesota.

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (6-23) with 25 points and McCowan scored 17. Tiffany Mitchell, Victoria Vivians and Lindsay Allen added 10 points apiece.

SPARKS 81, STORM 53: In Los Angeles, Te’a Cooper scored 19 points, Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler added 17 points apiece, and the Sparks routed the Storm to keep their playoff hopes alive.