Sparks’ Lisa Leslie to come off bench tonight against Seattle

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For the second consecutive game since returning from a sprained right knee, Sparks center Lisa Leslie will come off the bench in tonight’s game against the Seattle Storm, according to Coach Michael Cooper.

In her debut Tuesday in the Sparks’ 63-59 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars, Leslie scored 13 points on four-for-13 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench. Cooper expects she’ll play within the same range, though Leslie acknowledged after Tuesday’s game that she felt fatigued later in the fourth quarter.

‘We’ll play her a little bit more, but we’re looking for those kind of minutes from her tonight,’ Cooper said. ‘But we’ll see how much she is going to play. She’s going to give me the sign.’

Leslie said there’s no range of minutes she’s most comfortable playing, and simply said, ‘Whatever they tell me, I’m ready.’

The lineup will remain the same as Tuesday’s game, which featured Tina Thompson at center, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Candace Parker at forward and Noelle Quinn and Kristi Harrower at guard. Guard Betty Lennox, the team’s second-leading scorer, will miss her third consecutive game because of inflammation in her left knee. Quinn scored a career-high 13 points and shot six-of-10 in Lennox’s absence.

‘If she continues to play that way, she may keep that starting spot,’ Cooper said.

It’s unclear when he’d have to decide. Lennox declined commenting on what transpired out of her doctor visit Wednesday, but the team’s athletic trainer said she’s still listed as day-to-day. Lennox hasn’t had to drain her knee, and is just receiving treatment, the trainer said.

‘I tried providing a lot of energy on the defensive end,’ Quinn said. ‘But my skills aren’t Betty’s skills. I can’t do what she does.’

-- Mark Medina