Hot-Shooting Sparks Hand Tulsa Fifth-Straight Loss

The Tulsa Shock returned to the BOK Center Thursday night, looking to snap a four-game losing streak after a nine-day layoff.

Things didn't get any better for Tulsa, as the Shock fell to the Los Angeles Sparks, 94-78, extending the losing streak to a season-high five games.

The Sparks were on fire all night from the floor, hitting 55 percent of their shots, including 53.8 percent from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, the Shock failed to ride any home momentum, shooting less than 40 percent in the first half while falling behind by as many as 21 points in the first 20 minutes.

Candace Parker led all scorers with 30 points, shooting a sizzling 14-of-20 from the floor including two 3-pointers. Kristi Toliver added 25 to join Parker as the only other Los Angeles player in double figures, but that would be enough for the Sparks.

Tulsa was led by Skylar Diggins' 19 points. Nicole Powell scored 12 points while Glory Johnson and Liz Cambage each chipped in 11 points.

Tiffany Jackson-Jones made her first appearance on the court for Tulsa since 2011 and scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. Jackson-Jones took last season off while having a child and missed the first 14 games of this season with a stress fracture.

Tulsa ended the game shooting 42.6 percent from the field, but the first half was the deciding factor Thursday night.

The Sparks led 7-6 with 6:11 remaining in the first half. Los Angeles closed the quarter on a 15-4 run as Tulsa didn't make a field goal over the last 4:45 of the quarter.

Los Angeles began the second quarter on a 14-5 run to take a 36-15 lead with 5:31 remaining in the half. From there the Shock played the Sparks pretty evenly, but was unable to overcome the slow shooting start.

Things don't get any easier for Tulsa as they play host to Minnesota on Saturday. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.