PHOENIX — The Sparks did their best to extend their season, but they didn’t get the help they needed elsewhere and will miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year.
Dearica Hamby scored 16 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, Rae Burrell had a career-high 20 points off the bench and the Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury, 88-83, on Tuesday night but the Sparks were eliminated from the playoff race when Seattle edged Golden State to secure the eighth and final postseason berth.
The Sparks needed a win and a Seattle loss to send the chase for the final playoff spot to the last day of the season on Thursday night, but the Storm pulled out a 74-73 win at home, a game that ended moments after the Sparks’ victory.
The Sparks will conclude their season with a home game against the surging Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Phoenix is locked into the No. 4 seed and will host fifth-seeded New York, the defending champion, in a best-of-three series when the playoffs open on Sunday.
Hamby’s layup put the Sparks on top for good at 76-74 with 4:16 to play. She followed that with a three-point play. She added another three-point play with 1:01 to go for an 86-81 lead.
Kelsey Plum added 17 points for the Sparks (21-22) in a game that featured 17 lead changes.
Alyssa Thomas had her eighth triple-double of the season for the Mercury (27-16) with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, but she and the other Phoenix starters sat out the fourth quarter. Satou Sabally led the Mercury with 24 points and Sami Whitcomb added 11.
Phoenix led 25-19 after one quarter but the Sparks were ahead 45-44 at halftime.
The Sparks, who won for the first time in four games against Phoenix this season, opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run for a 54-44 lead and then the Mercury stormed back to take a 59-58 lead on Whitcomb’s 3-pointer.
Burrell’s driving layup in the last minute, when she tied her career high of 18 points, was the difference as the Sparks took a 63-62 lead into the fourth quarter.
Thomas’ previous triple-double came in her last game against the Sparks, a 92-84 victory in Los Angeles on Aug. 26 when she had 13 points, a season-high 16 rebounds and 15 assists.
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