Liberty hold off Sparks 85-81 as Ionescu scores 20

NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 20 points and the New York Liberty avoided one of the biggest collapses in WNBA history, holding off the Los Angeles Sparks 85-81 on Thursday night.

New York (21-14) led 69-41 early in the fourth quarter and looked poised to cruise to an easy victory when Los Angeles scored 21 straight points to get within striking distance.

The Sparks (12-21) only trailed 82-79 with 26.6 seconds left and were in position to match the Chicago Sky for the biggest comeback in league history. The Sky rallied from 28-down to beat Las Vegas in 2022. Rae Burrell got Los Angeles within one on a reverse layup with 22 seconds left. Ionescu hit two free throws with 14.8 remaining to restore the three-point advantage.

Los Angeles had one last chance, but Ariel Atkins missed a 3-pointer from the wing with seven seconds left and Ionescu hit a free throw with 3.2 seconds left to seal the win.

Los Angeles also lost Cameron Brink earlier in the fourth quarter. She helped key the game-changing run, drawing an offensive foul on Breanna Stewart. Brink was down on the floor for a few minutes before being helped to the locker room with a towel over her head. She took a shot to the stomach area from Stewart to get the offensive foul called. A few minutes earlier Brink and Burrell banged heads.

Burrell finished with a career-high 28 points.

DREAM 104, SUN 69

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored 29 points and made five 3-pointers, Allisha Gray also had 29 points, and Atlanta eased by Connecticut.

Howard scored 10 of Atlanta’s opening 12 points and she finished the first half with 23 points. Howard made a 3-pointer with 6:19 left in the third quarter to cap her scoring and give Atlanta a 66-36 lead. She finished 7 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 8 behind the arc, and 10 of 11 at the free-throw line.

Gray made Atlanta’s 11th 3-pointer — on just 22 attempts — midway through the fourth quarter for an 88-58 advantage. She was 4 of 5 from 3-point range to help Atlanta go 14 of 26 (54%).

Angel Reese grabbed 15 rebounds for Atlanta (21-12) to set a single-season franchise record for total boards, reaching the mark of 375 in just 32 games. Reese struggled from the field, making just 3 of 13 shots to finish with eight points.

Aaliyah Edwards led Connecticut (8-24) with 15 points off the bench.

ACES 83, MYSTICS 76

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jackie Young had a season-high 32 points and five 3-pointers, A’ja Wilson added 15 points and Las Vegas secured a playoff spot with a victory over Washington.

Young scored 12 straight Las Vegas points in the fourth quarter, capped by a 3-pointer with 4:17 remaining, for a 74-64 lead.

Young finished 10 of 14 from the field, including 5 of 8 behind the arc, and 7 of 8 at the free-throw line for her first 30-point performance of the season. Fellow guard Jewell Loyd added 13 points.

Las Vegas (24-11) moved within a game of second-place Golden State (24-9).

Shakira Austin had 29 points and eight rebounds and Sonia Citron added 17 points and eight assists for Washington (19-14), which has lost two straight following a seven-game winning streak. Kiki Iriafen, who picked up her fifth foul with 1:45 left in the third quarter, finished with just five points in 27 minutes.

The Aces began the game on a 14-2 run but missed their first eight field-goal attempts of the second quarter as the Mystics got within 25-24. The Aces led 38-32 at the break.