It’s not easy playing on the road in the WNBA, what with early-morning flights and flying commercial. It’s also difficult for Eastern Conference teams to get through the West Coast swing of the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm unscathed.

The Connecticut Sun will try to sweep their West Coast trip when they play Los Angeles today at the Staples Center (5 p.m., MyTV9).

Connecticut has never beaten Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle on the road in the same season.

The Sun (5-1), winners of five straight, are off to an unexpectedly hot start. They were expected to flounder after finishing last in the East the last two years, losing five players to injury before the regular season began (including two starters), and incorporating six new players.

Third-year center Kelsey Bone had a career-high 27 points with 14 rebounds in Friday night’s 90-78 double overtime win at Phoenix. Third-year guard Alex Bentley added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Los Angeles (0-3) has dealt with absences, too, as its missing three starters. Candace Parker is taking at least the early part of the season off to rest after playingly nearly year-round in the WNBA and overseas. Kristi Toliver is with the Slovak National Team at the FIBA EuroBasket Women qualification tournament and Nneka Ogwumike is sidelined with an ankle injury.

Alana Beard (15 ppg, 4.5 rpg) missed the Sparks' last game to a left-foot injury (a 67-54 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on June 16).