MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Seimone Augustus scored 17 points and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 87-68 on Saturday night to earn their first playoff berth since 2004.
Candice Wiggins added 13 points, including four 3-pointers for Minnesota (20-6), which tied a team record for wins in a season and entered the day leading the Western Conference by 412 games over second-place Phoenix. Monica Wright scored 11 points for the Lynx, who also own the WNBA’s best record by two games over East-leading Indiana (18-8).
Candace Parker had 18 points and eight rebounds in her second start since returning from knee surgery for Los Angeles (10-15), which fell further behind fourth-place Seattle for the final playoff spot in the West.