Sparks lose to Aces, end regular season with a whimper

With Saturday’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces, the Los Angeles Sparks gained an amount of certainty. But several lingering questions remain.
With the 84-70 defeat in the regular-season finale, the Sparks were cemented into the No. 3 seed in the WNBA playoffs. The dream of a double-bye and the extra rest that came with it is over. Los Angeles will play Thursday in the single-elimination second round.
But the Sparks had more to play for Saturday than just additional days off. They needed to pro