Lynx Defeat Sparks, Advance To West Finals

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Maya Moore had 20 points and eight rebounds to help the balanced Minnesota Lynx advance to the Western Conference finals with a 91-80 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 3 of the conference semifinals Tuesday night.

Moore was just 6 for 21 from the floor, but Seimone Augustus added 16 points and Deveraux Peters scored 12 big points off the bench to push the top-seeded Lynx into their fifth straight conference finals. They will play Phoenix, which swept Tulsa in the other semifinal. Game 1 is on Thursday night in Minnesota.

Candace Parker had 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Sparks, who haven't been to the conference finals since 2012. They trailed by 14 points in the first half but rallied to cut the deficit to one in the fourth quarter.

The Lynx responded with a 9-0 run to hold off Los Angeles.