HOUSTON (AP) -DeLisha Milton-Jones had 16 points and seven rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks clinch a playoff berth with an 84-66 win over the slumping Houston Comets on Saturday night.
Candace Parker scored 12 points, Lisa Leslie added 11 and Temeka Johnson 10 for the Sparks (19-13), who rebounded from a loss at San Antonio the previous night that snapped a four-game winning streak.
``It was the first game in a long time that we played 40 minutes of good basketball,'' Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper said. ``We had some downs when we started the game, but we kept our composure, especially after losing a tough game to San Antonio last night.''
Los Angeles is in third in the Western Conference, 2 1/2 games behind Seattle and two behind the Silver Stars.
Tina Thompson scored a game-high 18 points, and Shannon Johnson added 11 for Houston (14-16), which lost its fourth straight since returning from the league's monthlong Olympic break. Michelle Snow had nine points and Sancho Lyttle scorerd eight as the Comets dropped into fifth-place tie with Minnesota and defending champion Phoenix - two games behind fourth-place Sacramento.
Lyttle left the game with 2:07 to play with an undisclosed injury.
After trailing by 13 in the second quarter, Houston pulled to 53-46 on Thompson's 10-foot jumper with about 4 minutes left in the third.
The Sparks scored the next six points to restore their double-digit lead.
Los Angeles raced out to a 21-11 lead after the first quarter, scoring 13 points off 11 Houston turnovers. The Sparks increased the advantage to 33-20 on Ferdinand-Harris' field goal with 6:22 left in the second quarter.
``We were very passive and it just looked like we were kind of lackadaisical,'' Snow said.
The Comets had an 11-5 run to pull within seven with about 1:50 left in the half, and trailed 42-34 at the break.
``We turned it around and took better care of the ball in the second quarter,'' Houston coach Karleen Thompson said. ``We have to come 'game-ready' as a team. We have to get down and play defense and want to go after loose balls. We have to want to do what it takes to win games. This is a playoff run and you can not expect other teams to come in here and just lie down.''
