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Parker shows plenty of motivation in win over Chicago Sky

As Chicago Sky coach Pokey Chatman put it, Candace Parker is "mad at the world."

"I mean that as a compliment," Chatman said.

It's Chatman's take on why Parker, the former Naperville Central star and Illinois Ms. Basketball, has started the WNBA season on fire, guiding the Los Angeles Sparks to a 4-0 start, which includes Tuesday night's 93-80 victory over the Sky at the Allstate Arena.

Parker torched the Sky for a game-high 26 points and 9 rebounds. She's averaging 20.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, putting her among the top six in the league in both categories.

A couple of weeks ago, shock waves hit the world of women's basketball when the U.S. Olympic team was announced and Parker, a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008, 2012), was not included on the roster. Parker is considered one of the best players in the world and at age 30 is still in her prime.

Is the snub fueling Parker early in this WNBA season?

"It may be a little bit (of a chip on the shoulder)," she said. "But I think a lack of championships (Parker has yet to win a WNBA title in nine years in Los Angeles) is more of a chip on my shoulder.

"I don't think I have to (prove anything in terms of her value and skill). Honestly. I'm in this to prove that we're capable of winning a championship. I'm 30 years old, I've been in this league nine years, been successful. I don't think I have to prove myself."

Parker did need to decompress after the Olympic news, needed some time to digest the disappointment. And her 7-year-old daughter Lailaa played a key role in helping her gain perspective.

"I remember (shortly after the roster was announced) I was upset and a lot of it was because of my daughter because she's at the age where she would be able to remember the Olympics this time around. I was excited for her to be a part of it," Parker said. "I told her I was disappointed, but she was like, 'But Mommy, I get to spend more time with you.'

"I think that's the way I'm looking at it, make positive out of whatever happens. You know, it wasn't meant to be. But my daughter has taught me a lot, and she definitely puts things into perspective."

Parker said she's looking forward to taking a vacation with her daughter, seeing her off on her first day of school and doing all kinds of things that she would have missed if she was playing with the Olympic team in Brazil.

She's also looking forward to a break from basketball.

She will need it if she continues at this pace. She had 17 points against the Sky by halftime, including a 10-for-10 clip at the free-throw line.

The Sparks, who forced 10 of the Sky's 15 turnovers in the first half, had a 53-35 lead at the break. Tough defense by Los Angeles also limited Sky leading scorer Elena Delle Donne to 4 first-half points and 8 points for the game. Delle Donne, usually an accurate shooter, was just 4 of 14 from the field.

"I couldn't throw it in the ocean," she said. "I allowed that to affect defense. You want to give (the Sparks) credit defensively with their length and ability to switch, but there were also moments where we just couldn't knock it down, and you're going to have those nights but you can't allow that to turn into a loss.

"It's back to the drawing board."

The Sky, which was playing its second straight game without starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot (ankle), was led by backup Jamierra Faulkner. She scored 17 points while starting in place of Vandersloot.

Forward Jessica Breland added 16 points for the Sky (1-3).

The Sparks also got double figures from four others besides Parker: forward Nneka Ogwumike (19 points), reserve center Jantel Lavender (16), guard Alana Beard (12) and guard Kristi Toliver (11), who used to play for the Sky.

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