The reigning WNBA champions are just one win away from repeating as the champs. On Friday night, the Los Angeles Sparks picked up an 11-point win over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of the 2017 WNBA Finals. Four of L.A.'s starters finished in double digits for scoring while they held two of the opposition's starters scoreless. Below is the Lynx vs. Sparks Game 3 recap with top performers, game stats, and a look at the next games on the WNBA Finals schedule.

Game 3 recap

Tonight's game saw a strong performance by the Los Angeles Sparks on their home court.

They opened by holding Minnesota to just eight points in the first quarter while scoring 17 themselves. The Lynx managed to have an 18-15 edge in the second quarter, but Los Angeles would go on to outscore them 43-38 in the second half.

Nneka Ogwumike finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Sparks after making 6-of-11 shots in the game. Odyssey Sims also had 16 points to go with three assists. Candace Parker finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, five steals, and three blocks, while Chelsea Gray had 14 points and seven assists.

On the losing side, it wasn't the best of nights for the Minnesota Lynx starters. The brand new WNBA MVP Sylvia Fowles had her own double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Maya Moore had 16 points and three rebounds.

Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus were a combined 0-of-6 to finish with zero points. Whalen only spent 12 minutes on the court. Renee Montgomery filled in and added 12 points off the bench.

Minnesota ended up with a 40.3 percent shooting rate for the game and a 35 percent three-point rate. The Sparks shot 42.9 percent overall and 29.4 percent from downtown.

Both teams had 15 turnovers in the game, but the home team had 19 free throw attempts compared to just 10 attempts from the visitors at the charity stripe.

Next games in series

The two teams will meet in Los Angeles again on Sunday, October 1 at 8:30 PM ET for Game 4 of the series. A win by the Sparks gives them a second-straight WNBA Championship.

That means it's a must-win game for the Minnesota Lynx.

If they can force a deciding fifth game of the series, that game is scheduled for 8 PM ET in Minnesota on Wednesday, October 4. Both games are scheduled to be televised on ESPN with live streaming available through the WatchESPN website or compatible apps. Here is a Game 2 recap as well as a Game 1 recap from the 2017 WNBA Finals.