Sparks games with Washington, Connecticut will determine playoff seeding

Their armor packed, the Sparks hit the road for their final two regular-season clashes, against the Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics. Those contests will have major consequences on next week’s playoff pairings — including which of those three teams earns first- and second-round byes.
“The mood of the season right now is that everybody is fighting to the death, really,” said Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, whose 20 points and eight rebounds helped LA defeat the New Yo