LOS ANGELES _ Before Sunday night's Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, the championship trophy sat gleaming on a table at center court, polished and ready for presentation at Staples Center. At that point, the league title still belonged to the Lynx _ but a Los Angeles victory would give it a new home on the West Coast.
A poor in Game 3 had put the Lynx in a 2-1 hole in the best-of-five series, meaning they had to win Sunday to force a Game 5 back at Target Center. "If we're going down, we're going down swinging," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "That's the mindset."
The Lynx proved they could take a punch and give one, too, outlasting the Sparks 85-79 to send the series to the limit. Maya Moore led them with a masterful performance, including 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Lindsay Whalen added 13, Seimone Augustus had 12 and Sylvia Fowles finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Lynx led 75-69 late in the fourth quarter, but the Sparks' Chelsea Gray cut it to 77-75 on a 3-pointer, and the Sparks got a steal and a chance to tie it at 79 with less than a minute left. After they turned the ball over, Rebekkah Brunson was fouled by Candace Parker and made a pair of free throws with 12.5 seconds left to push the lead to 81-77.
Game 5 is Thursday at Target Center.
Before the game, Reeve said her players were focused, determined and still a little angry over the first-quarter flop in Game 3. The Sparks' 32 points were the most any team has scored against the Lynx in the postseason, and it gave the Sparks the start they needed in a matchup that has hinged on early success. The team that has led after the first quarter had won all six games the Lynx and Sparks played this year.
Moore predicted the start of Game 4 would be "so intense," with so much on the line. All season long, Moore has said the Lynx "know who we are"; on Saturday, she urged them to remember their identity, knowing it would be the key to extending the series.
"We don't win without the core of who we are, which is a really, really good defensive team," Moore said. "We need to just remind ourselves, so there's no second guessing, no doubt. Who we are when we win is a great defensive team."
That's who the Lynx were in Sunday's first half. A much more active, tight team defense limited Parker to five points in the half on two-of-10 shooting. The Lynx also attacked the boards, out rebounding the Sparks 26-14 in the half and grabbing nine offensive boards.
A 3-pointer by Toliver gave Los Angeles a 9-4 lead a little more than two minutes into the game. The Lynx responded with an 8-1 run, with six of those points coming on free throws. The Lynx were effective in drawing fouls while driving to the hoop, making 11 of 14 free throws in the first half.
The Sparks regained a 15-12 lead on a pair of cutting layups by Alana Beard and Ogwumike, who scored off a long inbounds pass from Beard. A 9-3 spurt by the Lynx put them back in the lead, and they kept it the rest of the quarter. Moore was slow to start in terms of scoring _ missing her first four shots _ but propelled the Lynx with lots of hustle plays and stepped up when they needed a timely basket, stop or rebound.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lynx held a 22-20 lead, a good omen given that the team leading after the first 10 minutes had won all six games between the teams this year. Consecutive jumpers by Jantel Lavender and Parker put the Sparks ahead 24-22, but that would be the last time they would hold a lead in the half.
A 9-0 run, including two Moore layups and a 3-pointer by Jia Perkins, put the Lynx back in front 31-24. The Sparks cut the deficit to 42-40 before the Lynx finished the half with a pair of Whalen free throws and a Fowles putback for a 46-40 lead.
A 6-2 spurt to start the third quarter gave the Lynx their largest lead up to that point, stretching the margin to 52-42. But the Sparks quickly got it back to single digits, with Gray and Beard providing the fuel.
Renee Montgomery was fouled behind the three-point line and made all three free throws to put the Lynx ahead 57-50. Consecutive 3-pointers by Gray and Toliver pulled Los Angeles within 57-56, then Moore went to work. She scored the Lynx's final eight points on a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws, giving the Lynx a 65-59 advantage after three quarters.
