LOS ANGELES – Lindsay Allen scored 16 points, Kamilla Cardoso and rookie Angel Reese had double-doubles and the Chicago Sky rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Los Angeles 90-86 on Saturday, handing the Sparks their fifth straight home loss.
Chicago (11-15) trailed 74-64 at the start of the final quarter, but a turnaround jumper from Allen and a three-pointer from Rachel Banham halved the Sky’s deficit after just 61 seconds. Cardoso added a layup and Chicago scored the first seven points. Odyssey Sims answered with a layup for Los Angeles (6-20), but Reese added a layup and Cardoso scored twice inside, giving the Sky a 77-76 lead with 6:35 minutes left.
Stephanie Talbot tied the Sparks 79-79 with a three-pointer after 4:43 minutes. Reese converted one of two free throws to give Chicago the lead, Michaela Onyenwere added a layup and the Sky never trailed again.
Allen made 7 of 11 shots from the field for Chicago. She dished out six assists. Cardoso had 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Reese had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Banham sank three 3-pointers and scored 14.
Kia Nurse scored 16 points to lead the Sparks, who have lost their last five games against the Sky. Overall, LA has lost three games in a row. Rickea Jackson and Talbot each added 13 points. Crystal Dangerfield added 11 points and six assists. Azurá Stevens had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Sparks took their first lead, 20-18, with 2:51 left in the first quarter. Chennedy Carter scored two consecutive baskets to cap a 6-0 run that gave the Sky a 26-25 lead after the first quarter.
Nurse had 13 points by halftime, and her three-pointer with 4:49 left in the second quarter gave the Sparks a 35-33 lead. Nurse made five straight free throws to give the Sparks a 43-38 lead. Chicago twice came within a point, but Dangerfield hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to give LA a 46-42 lead at halftime.
Banham hit a three-pointer for the Sky early in the third quarter, but Stevens answered with one of his own and the Sparks maintained their lead. Dana Evans hit a three-pointer from outside the arc to cut the lead to 66-64 Chicago with 2:06 left in the quarter. Talbot made three layups on an 8-0 run and LA entered the final 10 minutes with a 10-point lead.
Next
Chicago: Sky travels to play against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
Los Angeles: The Sparks hit the road on Sunday to play against the Las Vegas Aces.
