SPARKS TONIGHT

Opponent--Phoenix Mercury.

* Site--Forum.

* Time--7:30.

* Records--Sparks 11-13, Mercury (13-11).

Update--With four games left, it has become simple for the Sparks: If they win out, they’re in the WNBA playoffs. That would make them the Western Conference champions. One problem: Three of those four games are at home, where they’re 3-5 since July 7. After tonight, New York (Wednesday) and Sacramento (Friday) come calling at the Forum. Los Angeles defeated all three of those teams in their last meetings on the road. The Sparks finish the regular season Sunday at Phoenix. They finished off Utah on Saturday night in Salt Lake City, 74-64, with big games from Lisa Leslie, Haixia Zheng and Linda Burgess. Cheryl Miller’s Phoenix team is still trying to right itself from a near-disastrous mid-summer slump, when the Mercury lost six in a row just when it looked as if it would run away with the Western championship. They seem to have gotten back on track lately, though, with three consecutive victories, including Sunday’s 71-63 victory over Utah. The Sparks had only nine healthy players Saturday. Mwadi Mabika is out two more games because of an ankle sprain and Heidi Burge stayed home because of flu Saturday. Developmental player Kim Gessig was put on the active roster and played four minutes at Utah.