Charlotte, N.C. ? Vickie Johnson scored 20 points as the Eastern Conference-leading New York Liberty clinched a playoff spot with a 71-58 win Sunday over the Charlotte Sting.

Crystal Robinson had 16 points and Tari Phillips added 15 for the Liberty (17-10), who won for the seventh time in eight games to earn a place in the WNBA playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons. New York has a two-game lead over second-place Washington, which lost to Miami 55-50 on Sunday.

Andrea Stinson had 16 points and six rebounds, while Dawn Staley scored 14 for the Sting (14-14), who lost their fifth straight game.

Sol 55, Mystics 50

Miami Sheri Sam scored 13 points as Miami sent Washington to its sixth straight loss.

Reserve Iziane Castro Marques had 11 points in the first half for Miami, which had lost four of five games on its recent road trip. Ruth Riley scored 10 points and had six rebounds.

The Mystics, playing without injured All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw, were paced by Coco Miller, who scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Sparks 90, Starzz 86

Los Angeles Lisa Leslie hit two free throws to snap a tie with 1:38 remaining and Los Angeles escaped with a victory over Utah, ending a two-game losing streak at Staples Center.

Utah dropped to 1-10 in Los Angeles, and failed to clinch a WNBA playoff berth despite leading by six points with six minutes remaining against the defending champions.

Lynx 73, Storm 60

Minneapolis Georgia Schweitzer, filling in for injured starter Svetlana Abrosimova, scored a career-high 17 points as Minnesota beat Seattle.

Schweitzer scored 13 points in the first half, one shy of her previous career-high, on 5-of-7 shooting. Katie Smith also scored 17 points for Minnesota.

Abrosimova sat out because of a strained back.

Lauren Jackson led the Storm (15-14) with 19 points.

Miracle 63, Fire 61

Orlando, Fla. Shannon Johnson scored 18 points as Orlando beat Portland.

Jesse Hicks gave Orlando (14-14) a 62-61 lead with 24 seconds remaining when she made one of two free throws.

Alisa Burras led Portland (16-13) with 16 points.

Shock 91, Mercury 75

Auburn Hills, Mich. Rookie Swin Cash had 14 points and nine rebounds as Detroit defeated Phoenix in a matchup of two of the WNBA’s worst teams.

Phoenix (9-19) fell to 0-14 on the road, and has lost a league-record 20 straight away from home, dating back to last season.

Detroit (8-20) has the worst record in the league, but is 8-10 since Bill Laimbeer replaced Greg Williams as coach in June.