Williams leads Atlanta to seventh-straight win

Elizabeth Williams scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Atlanta Dream win their franchiserecord seventh straight game with an 87-74 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

Seattle’s Sue Bird, already the all-time WNBA assists leader, played her 500th career game, passing DeLisha Milton-Jones (499) for the WNBA record for games played.

Angel McCoughtry and Tiffany Hayes added 16 points each for Atlanta, which took the season series 2-1 with the win over Seattle.

The Dream (15-9) scored the last five points of the second quarter and led 5034 after Hayes’ 3-pointer to open the third. The Storm (18-7) closed within 52-45 in the middle of the third but got no closer.

Breanna Stewart had 31 points and eight rebounds for Seattle, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Bird added 12 points with four 3-pointers and Jewell Loyd scored 11.

SPARKS 93, SKY 76 » Candace Parker had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help the Sparks beat the Sky.

Odyssey Sims and Essence Carson added 16 points each for the Sparks (15-10). It was Parker’s eighth double-double of the season.

Los Angeles pulled away with a 9-0 run early in the third quarter to lead 49-40 and extended the advantage to 79-62 with 6:48 left in the fourth. The Sky (8-17) went on a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to 80-71, but the Sparks responded with six straight points and led by double digits from there.

Stefanie Dolson had 20 points and Courtney Vandersloot added 15 points and 10 assists for Chicago.

Sims left the game with 1:05 left in the fourth quarter due to a leg injury and the Sparks were also missing Nneka Ogwumike for the second straight game with an undisclosed illness.

SUN 92, WINGS 75 » Shekinna Stricklen scored a season-high 24 points and tied a WNBA record with eight 3-pointers to help the Sun beat the Wings.

Stricklen finished 8 of 11 from 3-point range and matched the mark set by Diana Taurasi, who has made eight 3-pointers three times, and Riquna Williams, who has done it once.