In dramatic simultaneous finishes, the Sparks earned a necessary win over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, 87-83, at the same time as the Storm won over the Valkyries, officially eliminating LA from the playoffs.

As the purple and gold polished off their victory in Phoenix, Erica Wheeler came up with an enormous shot in Seattle that put the Storm ahead by one with 17 seconds remaining. Golden State had chances to take the lead but failed to convert, leading to Seattle surviving and clinching their spot in the postseason.

For the Sparks, Dearica Hamby scored 25 points with nine rebounds and five assists. Kelsey Plum ended the night with 17 points and five assists. Rae Burrell had a huge game off the bench with 20 points, going 7-12 from the field.

Cameron Brink pitched in with four points

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