Taurasi, Diggins-Smith lead Mercury past Sparks 90-80

PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi scored 30 points, Skylar Diggins-Smith added 27 and the Phoenix Mercury rolled to a 90-80 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. Taurasi added six rebounds, while Diggins-Smith grabbed five with six assists for Phoenix (13-16). Shey Peddy scored 12 as the Mercury won their second straight and moved into third place in the Western Conference — passing Los Angeles and Dallas, both at 12-16. Diggins-Smith, Taurasi and Peddy accounted for 23 of 26 first-quarter points as the Mercury took a nine-point lead. Taurasi and Diggins-Smith teamed up to score the first 16 points in the second quarter as Phoenix pushed its lead to 42-22 at the 6:22 mark and never looked back. Chennedy Carter led the Sparks with a season-high 23 points off the bench.