Sparks dominate rival Lynx, snap 5-game home skid

LOS ANGELES — Thursday was Sparks coach Brian Agler’s 60th birthday, and his team gave him quite a gift by routing the defending champion Minnesota Lynx 79-57 at Staples Center.
The Sparks (16-11) hadn’t won a home game since July 1, but after outscoring the Lynx 20-8 in the first quarter, the Sparks blitzed Minnesota (15-11) to claim sole possession of second place in the Western Conference standings.
“I don’t know if it (the victory) had anything to do with my bir