Los Angeles — The Connecticut Sun were in a tough spot on Sunday, playing their second game in three days with their off day spent traveling from Mohegan to Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Sparks made life even tougher for the Sun.

Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals as the Sparks downed Connecticut 84-72 to clinch the regular-season series before 17,076 at Staples Center.

Los Angeles closed the third quarter with a 16-5 run. Ogwumike scored six during that run as the Sparks took a 65-52 lead.

“I think we kind of let our intensity slip a little bit in the second and the third (quarters),” Sun post Jonquel Jones said. “We just have to do a better job of that. I think (Los Angeles) kind of got us off-guard with their trapping.

“When they decided to trap us in different situations, it kind of switched us to their game plan and threw us off. So we just have to be more prepared for them to just switch it up and be more prepared for the traps and get into spaces where we can help the guards.”

Riquna Williams scored a game-high 21 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer to end the first half, for the Sparks (18-10). Chelsea Gray had 12 points, six assists and five rebounds and Candace Parker had 13 points and five assists.

Courtney Williams had 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals for Connecticut (20-9). Jones added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Jasmine Thomas had 10 points and five assists, and Shekinna Stricklen scored 12.

“We had a 36-hour turnaround (from) Friday night,” Sun head coach Curt Miller said, referencing the team’s grinding 89-85 home win that night over the Las Vegas Aces.

“We flew out here at 4:30 (a.m.). … I was so impressed with our energy out of the gate (in the) first quarter. And you worry. You worry about the team with this quick turnaround and coast-to-coast travel. And (the Sparks) out-executed us in the half court.”

Connecticut dropped into second place in the overall WNBA standings and a game behind the Washington Mystics, who crushed the New York Liberty earlier Sunday (101-72).

The top two seeds earn a double-bye into the best-of-five semifinal round of the playoffs. The first two rounds are single elimination.

The Sun have lost at home in the second round the last two seasons to the Phoenix Mercury.

Connecticut holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Washington and the Las Vegas Aces (19-11), the latter who are tied for third with Los Angeles and a 1.5 games behind the Sun.

The Chicago Sky (18-11) are fifth.

Los Angeles led 49-47 with 4 minutes, 36 left in the third quarter when it made its move. Gray started its run with a technical free throw, followed by a 3-pointer, to push the Sparks’ lead to 53-47.

Ogwumike’s layup and 19-foot jumper gave Los Angeles a 61-49 lead.

Stricklen answered with a 3-pointer for the Sun, but Parker’s layup and an 18-foot jumper by Alana Beard gave Los Angeles a 65-52 edge after three quarters.

Alexis Jones made two free throws to give the Sparks their biggest lead, 84-68, with 1:08 left in the game.

“They were physical with us on our offensive end,” Miller said, “and they just disrupted us in stretches where we just struggled to put points up against such a talented team.”

The Sun continue their three-game road trip at the sixth-place Seattle Storm (15-14) on Tuesday at 10 p.m.