Sky rolls past Parker-less Sparks 80-68

Candace Parker was in the house. But she wasn't on the floor.

That was the cherry on the sundae for the Chicago Sky, which, in addition to having just about everything else go its way Friday night, didn't have to worry about the former Naperville Central star, one of the best players in the WNBA.

Parker, a star forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, sat on the bench in street clothes with a sling on her left shoulder. She suffered a serious dislocation back in June and is out for the rest of the season.

But even if the Sparks had her services at Allstate Arena, there's a good chance it might not have made a difference.

That's how good the Sky was in cruising to an 80-68 victory, its second in a row in decisive fashion. Before the Sparks made up some ground in garbage time, the Sky led by 21.

On Wednesday, the Sky blew out the San Antonio Silver Stars by a franchise-record 27 points.

Now the Sky, which got double-figures from six players this time around, is 10-11 and can reach the .500 mark for the second time this summer with a victory over the Mystics in Washington on Sunday.

Getting past that hurdle with 12 games left would position the Sky for a legitimate run at a playoff spot, the first in the franchise's five-year history.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence right now," said Sky reserve guard Epiphanny Prince, who finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. "Everybody has just stepped up their games. We all have the same goal in mind (making the playoffs) and it kind of seems like we're playing with a sense of urgency now."

Not that the Sky is all business, though.

There were plenty of smiles during the course of the Sparks game, which drew another vocal crowd (4,841). On Wednesday, the Sky set a franchise attendance record with 6,250 fans.

"We're having fun right now," said Sky reserve guard Erin Thorn, who paced the Sky with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. "We're enjoying each other. We have fun off the court together and we're having fun on the court.

"To put things together over the last couple games like we have, obviously we're having a blast."

Tamera Young and Dominique Canty (11 points apiece) as well as Mistie Bass and Sylvia Fowles (10 points apiece) also reached double figures for the Sky, which shot 45 percent from the field and 53 percent from 3-point territory.

The Sky also out-rebounded the Sparks 39-23.

"The last couple of games is about as close as we've come to playing a complete 40 minutes in each game," Sky coach Steven Key said. "We have a good feeling about that. There's consistency and we're in a rhythm and I hope it's something we can sustain."

DeLisha Milton-Jones and Tina Thompson scored 21 and 15 points respectively for the Sparks, who fall to 5-14 on the season.

Former Sky guard Kristi Toliver, who was dealt to Los Angeles just before the start of the season, had 7 points for the Sparks.