Lynx’s Moore is too much for Sparks
She scores a career playoff-high 33 and L.A. loses Game 1 of the semifinal series.
MINNEAPOLIS — When Maya Moore is at the top of her game, she is simply unstoppable.
Moore scored a career playoff-high 33 points to help the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx beat the Sparks, 67-65, Friday night in the opener of their Western Conference semifinals series.
“She’s tough for everyone to contain every night,” Sparks Coach Brian Agler said.
Moore took over in the third quarter, scoring 15 points.
Candace Parker had 16 points and nine rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike added 14 points for the Sparks.
The Sparks used a 9-0 run to pull to 61-60 on Jantel Lavender’s layup with about five minutes to go. However, Moore’s fastbreak basket gave Minnesota a threepoint lead with just over a minute to play.
The Sparks had a chance to tie in the last seconds, but Parker missed a shot under the basket as time ran out.
“We didn’t run it perfectly but we got the action we wanted and got Candace coming to the ball on the move,” Agler said. “She took a shot she can make.”
Seimone Augustus, back after missing the last eight games of the regular season because of a foot injury, added 17 points for the Lynx.
Game 2 of the best-ofthree series is Sunday at Long Beach State because of the Emmy Awards taking place near Staples Center.