Sparks lose fourth in a row

Maya Moore scored 31 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 94-77 win over the Sparks on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Alana Beard led the Sparks (3-7) with 18 points and Candace Parker had 16 points as Los Angeles lost four games in a row for the first time since 2011.

Moore scored 16 of Minnesota’s 32 points in the third quarter as the Lynx (9-3) ended a two-game losing streak and avoided their fourth loss in five games. Moore shot 12 for 16 from the field in her highest-scoring game since a career-high 38-point game last month.

Seimone Augustus added 14 points while Lindsay Whalen had 12 points and seven assists for Minnesota, which equaled a season high for points and set season highs for field goals (37) and field-goal percentage (64%).