LYNX gameday 7 p.m. at Los Angeles • Xcel Energy Center • ESPN2, 106.1-FM

Last year's WNBA finalists renew their rivalry

Preview: With the season nearing the midway point, the Lynx finally get a rematch with the Sparks, the team that beat them in Game 5 of the 2016 WNBA Finals on Nneka Ogwumike's put-back basket in the closing seconds. And the two teams meet with both playing at their peak. The 12-1 Lynx can match their best start ever — 13-1 last year — with a victory. The Sparks (12-3) can pull into a virtual tie with the Lynx with a win. The Lynx have won three consecutive since their only loss of the season, to Connecticut. The Sparks have won a league-best eight straight. The two have met in the playoffs each of the past two seasons and appear destined to do so again this fall. The Lynx won two of three regular-season meetings last season.

Players to watch: F Maya Moore has averaged 21.2 points and 47.9 percent shooting over her past six games. PG Lindsay Whalen has scored 13.5 points and shot 51.2 percent in her past four games. Sparks C/F Candace Parker is averaging 17.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Ogwumike is fifth in the league in scoring (19.4) and fourth in shooting percentage (58.5). G Alana Beard is tied for the league lead in steams (2.0).

Numbers: Only two players, Sylvia Fowles and Moore, have led the Lynx in scoring this season. But five players have led the team in assists at least once. This game represents the sixth time this season the Lynx have played a game after five or more days of rest.

Injuries: None reported.

Kent Youngblood