Point guard Sue Bird hit two free throws with 1.6 seconds left in the game to snap a tie, and the Seattle Storm hung on to beat the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday night, 65-63, at KeyArena.
Bird finished with 12 points and Lauren Jackson and Tanisha Wright led Seattle (17-12) with 14 points apiece.
Candace Parker scored 19 points to lead Los Angeles (12-17) and made it a double-double with 14 rebounds.
Ticha Penicheiro also had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Sparks.
Wright, trying to shoot through traffic with the clock winding down, had her shot blocked.
But the loose ball came out to Bird at the left of the lane, and she was fouled by Kristi Toliver to earn a trip to the free-throw line.
Bird swished both shots to clinch Seattle’s fourth consecutive victory.
The Sparks had a last-second shot to tie the game, but Tina Thompson’s try from the left of the lane bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
Seattle has beaten the Sparks in nine of the past 10 meetings.
The defending champion Storm reduced its magic number to one to qualify for the WNBA playoffs.
Los Angeles fell two games behind San Antonio for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with five games remaining.
The Storm swept its four-game homestand and plays its next three games on the road at Los Angeles, Tulsa and San Antonio.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.