Sparks on the verge of becoming first WNBA team to win 500 games

The Sparks could get to 500 on Sunday.

No, not .500, as in even for the season. Two consecutive convincing victories already have leveled their ledger at 6-6.

They could earn the franchise’s 500th win and make WNBA history as the first team to do so.

Along with the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury, the Sparks are one of the WNBA’s three remaining original teams, dating back 23 years. They enter Sunday’s 2 p.m. game at Staples Center against the Washington Mystics with an all-time franchise record of 499-293.

This historic win is no gimme, not against a first-place Washington Mystics team that also has momentum on its side, having won five consecutive games, starting with their 81-52 victory over the Sparks on their last visit to Staples Center on June 18.

That was Candace Parker’s first game back from a hamstring injury, and it wound up being the second of four consecutive losses for the Sparks, who’ve been acclimating to each other and to coach Derek Fisher’s new system.

Parker has recorded double-digit scoring efforts in her past three games, helping her team recover from their skid with a pair of victories, including their most recent triumph, a 94-69 triumph over the Chicago Sky.

In that win last Sunday, the Sparks got 19 points from guard Riquna Williams (who connected on 45.5 percent of her shots from the field), and they had five players score in double figures in their highest-scoring game so far this season.

The Sparks limited Chicago to 33.3 percent shooting from the field a week ago, but the Mystics are capable scorers who can easily counter the Sparks’ recent offensive output.

Washington (9-3) leads the WNBA in scoring per game (86.8), assists per game (21.3) and 3-pointers made per game (8.9). The Mystics are led by five-time All-Star and 2015 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, who is averaging 17.2 points and 8.9 rebounds.

And there’s point guard Kristi Toliver, who was on the 2016 Sparks team that won the WNBA title, and is averaging 11.8 points and 5.3 assists in this, her third season with Washington.

After playing five games in 10 days (three of them on the road), the Sparks will have had a full week between last their victory on June 30 and Sunday’s game.

There are risks associated with an extended break like that, Parker said.

“You have to be careful with that,” said the two-time MVP and five-time All-Star. “You want to continue to stay in game shape and in game rhythm. I think the most important part is to continue to get better during this time and not go backwards.”

Wear your dopest kicks this Sunday to #SneakerHeadDay presented by @NikeLA.

https://t.co/osld2jqA9A#GoSparks #LeadTheCharge #SparkTheTrueYou pic.twitter.com/FwJtjasEiX

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) July 3, 2019