LOS ANGELES -- Candace Parker is one game away from getting the Los Angeles Sparks to the WNBA Finals. This time, she doesnt want to miss.Parker had 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 99-84 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 semifinals.My rookie year, it seems like just yesterday, barely missing the finals, said Parker, now in her ninth season. When I left the court, I was like, `Oh, well be back and that hasnt happened.The Sparks havent won the WNBA championship since taking back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, when Lisa Leslie starred for the franchise.Weve learned these opportunities dont just come around and we have to take advantage of it, Parker said.Parker wasnt chosen for the U.S. womens Olympic team that won gold in Rio de Janeiro after helping them to gold medals in 2008 and 2012. But she resisted Chicago coach Pokey Chatmans assessment that shes playing with a chip on her shoulder.I dont think there was anything to prove but that we could get to the finals and were capable of winning a championship, Parker said. Our team has played as such. Thats the way you have to play when you want to put yourself in position to win a championship.League sixth woman of the year Jantel Lavender added 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting, league MVP Nneka Ogwumike had 18, Kristi Toliver 17 and Essence Carson 11 in the Sparks return to their home court at Staples Center. They won Game 1 by 20 points in Long Beach on Wednesday.The Sparks shot 54 percent from the field.Toliver hit four of the Sparks 10 3-pointers. The Sky was 3 of 13 from long-range.Reserve Clarissa Dos Santos scored 15 points and Jamierra Faulkner added 14 off the bench for the Sky. Cappie Pondexter had 13.We didnt start off well, Faulkner said. We allowed them to get comfortable and we cant allow that to happen again.Chicago rallied to close within 10 after trailing by 21 early in the third, led by Courtney Vandersloot and Tamera Young, who finished with 12.The Sparks recovered, going on a 10-1 run that extended their lead to 78-59 going into the fourth. Chelsea Gray had a three-point play and passed to a streaking Lavender, who converted on the fast break before hitting a 20-foot jumper herself.Shes a microwave. Thats what I call her, Parker said of Lavender. She comes and she heats up.Just as in Game 1, the Sparks rode a big second quarter to a dominating lead. Two nights earlier, they scored 30 points in the period. This time, they outscored the Sky 29-15, including a 12-0 run to open the quarter. The offensive load was distributed among four players: Carson had eight points, Ogwumike added seven, and Parker and Lavender had six each.When were playing well and were cheering for each other its always going to be fun, Ogwumike said, and we want it to be that all the way.TIP-INSThe Sparks improved to 5-0 against the Sky, including three regular-season victories. ... Sparks G Alana Beard and Ogwumike were named to the WNBAs All-Defensive first team. ... Brian Agler of the Sparks finished second to Minnesotas Cheryl Reeve in the voting for league coach of the year. ... Sparks co-owner Magic Johnson introduced Olympic track champion Allyson Felix to a standing ovation in the third, drawing a shy smile from the low-key Felix. ... Also on hand was Clippers All-Star Chris Paul, retired Lakers star Derek Fisher and Kiki Vandeweghe, the NBAs vice president of basketball operations.WHAT A SHOTToliver hit a 3-pointer that beat the buzzer to end the first quarter. Sandwiched between two defenders, she tossed up the ball from the left side while falling down, giving the Sparks a 28-27 lead after they had been outscored 11-2.Kristi shoots typical Kristi shots, Ogwumike said. You really cant explain them.STILL SIDELINEDChatman said Sky star Elena Delle Donne would not suit up for Game 3. She watched in street clothes because of a right thumb injury. Delle Donne shared the league scoring title with New Yorks Tina Charles, averaging 21. 5 points.WHATS NEXTGame 3 is Sunday in Chicago. Cheap College Jerseys Free Shipping . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Cheap Washington State Cougars Jerseys China . 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NEW YORK -- With his team around the .500 mark since late May, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said internal discussions among management have intensified and he will pass along any trade offers to ownership.My job is to canvass the entire game of general managers and find out whats available in the marketplace, and theyre open to make offers and express interest, Cashman said Tuesday.I have an obligation any time I receive offers to make sure ownership is involved. ... I dont pick and choose what to tell them. I tell them everything, always. So if somebody wants to make us an offer on any of our players, I will make sure theyre informed.New York began the night fourth in the AL East at 40-42, seven games behind division-leading Baltimore and 4 1/2 games back for the leagues second wild card. The Yankees peaked when they were two games over .500 at 4-2.Weve been a .500 team, obviously, and right now our record right now has us a tick below .500, Cashman said in a telephone interview. We have not been able to seem to move past that area for the entire season thus far.Closer Aroldis Chapman, right fielder Carlos Beltran, first baseman Mark Teixeira and pitcher Ivann Nova are among the Yankees who are eligible for free agency at the end of the season.ddddddddddddAndrew Miller, a member of the teams back-end bullpen trio, is signed through 2018 and also would be of interest to contenders.Cashman, who spoke about the teams approach to the trade market with ESPN earlier Tuesday, wouldnt say when internal discussions began to intensify.We are constantly engaging about how our club is performing or how its not performing. Thats always a fluid conversation, he said.In the winter time, I was on the record saying Im open to considering everything and anything. And that was the case this winter, and that has not changed in season. But obviously with the trade deadline approaching, organizations have to decide are they adding or are they subtracting.By action, youll see over the next coming weeks, teams will obviously declare themselves by their actions.He did not think any possible trades would come in a flurry.If you have the right deal, you pull the trigger, he said. I doubt that all comes at the same moment. ' ' '