Nette Wortgeplänkel » Wimbledon semifinalist last month,

In the first game of the WNBA playoff semifinals between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Chicago Sky, the Sparks superstars -- two-time league Most Valuable Player Candace Parker and this years MVP Nneka Ogwumike -- were too much to handle and Los Angeles romped to a 20-point win.But in Game 2 on Friday, it was the Sparks role players, and specifically super-sixth-woman Jantel Lavender, who burned Chicago in a 99-84 victory.The Sky have one more chance to keep their season alive, as the scene shifts from Southern California to the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill., and Allstate Arena on Sunday afternoon for Game 3 of the best-of-five series.For the depleted Sky -- who have been without 2015 MVP Elena Delle Donne for eight straight games including its three playoff contests -- its a matter of finding their stride for long enough to counter Los Angeles talented wave after wave of clutch performances.Lavender was on target on Friday, hitting her first nine shots and 10 of her 11 attempts from the floor. Most of her damage was from outside, as the Sky tried to pack the lane to limit the touches by Parker and Ogwumike.That strategy kept the Sparks two frontcourt stars to a combined 38 points, 19 less than in Game 1, but it wasnt near enough to keep the game close or produce a win for Chicago.(Chicago) just kept leaving me open, so I was just shooting it, Lavender said. I thought about going back to the basket, but that high-post shot was going in tonight. When Im open, Im shooting it, and tonight was a good night.Lavender has excelled off the bench for Los Angeles, and leads the Sparks second-unit in performance and attitude.Jantel could be a starter for us and most teams in this league, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. We dont drop off when shes in the game.Parker set the tone for the Sparks in the early going with eight points, six rebounds and three assists in the first quarter. She either scored or assisted on Los Angeles first five baskets. Shes had double-doubles in the first two games of the series and on Friday was two assists away for her first career triple-double.Down 65-44 midway through the third quarter on Friday, the Sky forged a 14-3 run to get back to within 10 points of the lead. That effort sapped Chicago, which missed its final seven shots of the period, and Los Angeles stepped on the gas, pulling away to lead 78-59 with a quarter to play.Six players scored in double figures for the Sky in Game 2, led by reserves Clarissa Dos Santos with 15 points and Jamierra Faulkner with 14.Los Angeles has now won all five games between the two teams this season, including two on the Skys home floor when Chicago had Delle Donne in the lineup. Dale Weise Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Dave Schultz Jersey . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. http://www.cheapflyersjerseyschina.com/ . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Valtteri Filppula Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Eric Lindros Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. NEW YORK -- Defending champion Andy Murray could face top-seeded Novak Djokovic only in the semifinals at the U.S. Open, while Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer -- who have never played each other at Flushing Meadows -- might meet in the quarter-finals. Murray earned his first Grand Slam championship by beating Djokovic in the 2012 U.S. Open final, then added a second by beating the No. 1-ranked Serb in the Wimbledon title match last month. But there cant be a rematch in New York in the final, thanks to Thursdays draw. "Coming to the U.S. Open last year, Id never won a Grand Slam. I didnt know if I was ever going to win one," Murray said at the draw ceremony. "A lot of people would say ... like, Hes good enough to win a Grand Slam. Hes going to win one. But the more finals you lose in, the more you start to doubt yourself and think, Is it ever going to happen? Getting that weight off my shoulders last year was huge." Play at the years last Grand Slam tournament begins Monday. In addition to No. 2 Nadal against No. 7 Federer, a 17-time major champion who has his lowest seeding at the U.S. Open since he was 13th in 2002, the other possible mens quarter-finals are 2011 champion Djokovic versus 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro, No. 3 Murray versus No. 5 Tomas Berdych, and No. 4 David Ferrer versus No. 8 Richard Gasquet or 10th-ranked Canadian Milos Raonic. Federer, who owns five U.S. Open titles, and Nadal also were set up for a possible quarter-final at Wimbledon this year, but that never materialized: Nadal lost in the first round, and Federer in the second. The potential womens quarter-finals at the U.S. Open are No. 1 Serena Williams against No. 8 Angelique Kerber, No. 2 Victoria Azarenka against No. 7 Petra Kvitova, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska against No. 5 Li Na, and No. 4 Sara Errani against No. 6 Caroline Wozniacki. The woman who originally was seeded third in the tournament, 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, withdrew Wednesday because of a right shoulder injury. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., joins Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., in the mens main draw. Montreals Eugenie Bouchard and Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., are in the main womens draw. More Canadians could advance to the main draw. Torontos Sharon Fichman, Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Que., and Frank DDancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont.dddddddddddd, all won their opening qualifying matches Thursday. Torontos Steven Diez and Ottawas Jesse Levine lost the opening round of qualifying. Williams 16 Grand Slam titles include four at the U.S. Open, including last year. Her first-round opponent will be 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. Williams could play 15th-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States in the fourth round; Stephens won their Australian Open quarter-final in January. "I take every match really seriously. I dont look too far in the draw. I just look at the first one," Williams said. "For me, my competition comes with each match. Every match is going to be a very, very tough competition for me, and I just stay focused on one at a time." Williams has won 77 of her past 81 matches, and was asked Thursday whether she is playing better than she ever has. "I hope not," Williams answered. "I always like to hope I can do better, so well see." Her older sister, 2000-01 U.S. Open champion Venus, is unseeded and was drawn to play No. 12 Kirsten Flipkens, a Wimbledon semifinalist last month, in the first round next week. Djokovic and 2010 U.S. Open champion Nadal, who recently overtook Murray at No. 2 in the rankings, could meet only in the final. Theyve already met in five Grand Slam championship matches, including in New York in 2010 and 2011. One intriguing earlier matchup for 12-time major title winner Nadal could come in the fourth round, when he might have to play six-foot-10 John Isner, a big-serving American who is seeded 13th and pushed the Spaniard to five sets at the French Open two years ago. Nadal was drawn to play another American, 21-year-old Ryan Harrison, in the first round. Djokovic, who has reached at least the semifinals at the U.S. Open each of the past six years, could face 25th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. Dimitrov surprisingly beat Djokovic on clay at the Madrid Masters in May, although Djokovic won their matchup less than a month later at the French Open. In the second round, Djokovic might play Lukas Rosol, the man who upset Nadal at Wimbledon while ranked 100th in 2012, or Benjamin Becker, who defeated Andre Agassi at the 2006 U.S. Open in the Americans last professional match. ' ' '