Brittney Griner’s 29 points and 11 rebounds led the host Phoenix Mercury to a 78-72 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.

Griner shot 12 of 18 from the field, while Diana Taurasi went 7 of 13 from the floor, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range, to finish with 22 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. She also collected her first dunk of the season with nearly five minutes gone in the first half.

Moriah Jefferson chipped in 11 points and eight assists for the Mercury (4-14), who ended a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 11 games.

The Mercury shot 30 of 63 (47.6 percent) from the field, including 5 of 17 (29.4 percent) from 3-point range. Phoenix outrebounded the Sparks 37-30.

Los Angeles (7-12) was led by Nneka Ogwumike, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Jordin Canada added 16 points.

Azura Stevens chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds, while Jasmine Thomas had 10 points for the Sparks, who have dropped five straight games.

The Sparks shot 26 of 70 (37.1 percent) from the field, including 8 of 21 (38.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

Trailing 68-57 with less than five minutes left, the Sparks went on a 13-4 run to pull to within 72-70 after Stevens split a pair of free throws with 1:21 remaining.

Destanni Henderson stole the ball from Griner with 1:02 to go, but the Mercury got the ball back when Griner won a jump ball against Stevens after Phoenix won a coach’s challenge on a Taurasi foul that was overturned.

Taurasi made it a four-point game with a pair of free throws with 45.1 seconds remaining.

After Canada’s two free throws tied the game at 33 with 3:43 left in the second quarter, the Mercury closed the period on a 9-3 run to take a 42-36 halftime advantage.

Griner had 16 points before the break for Phoenix, while Ogwumike led the Sparks with 12.

–Field Level Media

Arike Ogunbowale poured in 28 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as the visiting Dallas Wings held off the Indiana Fever 77-76 Sunday afternoon at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Ogunbowale’s 3-pointer with 4:37 to go tied the game at 68-68. She proceeded to hit back-to-back jumpers and three free throws as Dallas took control against an Indiana team that refused to quit.

Natasha Howard scored 16 points, and Crystal Dangerfield, playing in her 100th career game, added nine as Dallas (10-9) won its second in a row.

The Fever (5-14) have now lost seven straight; ending the day still searching for their first win since June 22 despite 18 points from Aliyah Boston. NaLyssa Smith scored 17 and Kelsey Mitchell finished with 12.

Lexie Hull had a chance to win it for the Fever with no time left, but her 3-pointer was off the mark.

Ogunbowale scored 10 straight points during a critical stretch in the fourth as the Wings found a way to shake off the Fever, who had rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to make it close.

Tied at 38-38 at the half, both teams searched for momentum in the third. Indiana seemed to get it when Mitchell finished a fastbreak opportunity with a layup to give the Fever a 44-43 lead with 8:43 left.

Mitchell drilled a 3-pointer with 3:02 remaining, giving Indiana a 57-51 lead in a third quarter that featured five lead changes. Mitchell scored 10 in the third.

Dallas scored eight straight points to close the quarter, with two coming off a layup by Howard that tied the game at 59-59 going into the fourth.

The Wings led 27-17 after one and stretched the lead to 32-19 after Ogunbowale was fouled on a made jumper and hit the ensuing free throw with 6:17 left.

Indiana roared back on the strength of a 12-0 run that included the first Fever 3-pointer of the day as Grace Berger hit one to cut the Dallas lead to 32-25. Indiana had missed its first six from distance.

–Field Level Media

Jewell Loyd scored a game-high 31 points Saturday night, all from behind the 3-point line, as Team Stewart outgunned Team Wilson 143-127 to win the WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

Loyd, the Seattle Storm star who leads the league in scoring at 24.3 per game, sank 10 of 21 3-point attempts and also hit a 4-pointer in setting a record for most points in the event. She added six assists and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Brittney Griner (Phoenix) added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Team Stewart, picked by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. Napheesa Collier (Minnesota) tallied 20 points, while Sabrina Ionescu (New York) tallied 18 points and Kahleah Copper (Chicago) hit for 16.

Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas) pumped in 30 points for Team Wilson, composed of players selected by Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson. Wilson hit for 20, while Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas) scored 18 points. Rhyne Howard (Atlanta) netted 16 and Cheyenne Parker of Atlanta added 14 points.

Team Stewart canned 50 percent of its field goal attempts and earned a 64-47 advantage in rebounding.

It didn’t take long for the game to become what most All-Star games are — a chapter on high-scoring hijinks with defense merely an option. Griner dunked just over six minutes into the game to give Team Stewart a 23-16 lead, although Plum’s layup cut Team Wilson’s deficit to 29-27 after a quarter.

Team Stewart hit the figurative X button in the second quarter for 44 points. WNBA 3-point shooting champion Ionescu drained three 4-pointers — one spot on each wing about 33 feet out was marked as a 4-pointer — to help her team take a 73-63 halftime lead.

The margin grew as high as 20 late in the third quarter with the help of a 3-pointer and a reverse layup by Copper. Parker drew Team Wilson within 110-93 heading to the fourth quarter when she drilled a 3-pointer as time expired.

Earlier in the day, the WNBA announced that Phoenix would host next year’s All-Star Game.

–Field Level Media

The WNBA announced Saturday that three-time champion Phoenix will host the 2024 All-Star Game.

It will mark the third time hosting for Phoenix (2000, 2014). The Mercury last won the league championship in 2014.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert made the announcement from Las Vegas, site of Saturday’s ASG.

The game will be the first for new Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia, who formally took over the Suns and Mercury in February.

“Since I’ve been in the league, they’ve done so much,” Engelbert said. “They are so great to work with under the new ownership with Mat Ishbia.”

–Field Level Media