Up next for Sparks: Sunday at Phoenix

AT PHOENIX

When: Noon PDT.

Where: U.S. Airways Center, Phoenix.

On the air: ESPN2.

Records: Sparks 17-16, Mercury 23-10.

Record vs. Mercury: 0-3.

Update: The Sparks already clinched the third seeding in the Western Conference playoffs for the second year in a row, but they still want to end the season on a high note. Sparks Coach Michael Cooper and his players say playing the Mercury, the West’s top-seeded team, will provide a good barometer for the postseason.

“It will be the first time we’ll have a full team together healthy going down there,” Cooper said. “Ask me after then, and I’ll have a better idea” about how I feel about the playoffs.

-- Mark Medina