Diana Taurasi and the surging Phoenix Mercury started the post-Olympic break in impressive fashion. The Mercury backed up a blowout of the Dallas Wings on Friday with an upset of the first-place Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.Taurasi scored 26 points and the Mercury defense forced 21 turnovers in the win over the Sparks. Phoenix has won four of five heading into Tuesdays road test against the Indiana Fever.Unlike the Mercury, the Fever did not get off to the start they were hoping for after returning from the monthlong Olympic break. Indiana was blown out by the Washington Mystics 92-69 on Friday at home. The loss snapped the Fevers three-game winning streak.Im disappointed in our effort, Indiana coach Stephanie White told the Indianapolis Star after the loss to the Mystics. For whatever reason, we lost our energy and intensity in the second half.Indiana (12-13) is in sixth place in the league standings. The top eight teams, regardless of conference, qualify for the postseason. White said her team still needs to generate a playoff effort in the final 10 games of the season.We have to put that energy, that effort, that urgency out there, White told reporters. We cant turn that on when the lights turn on. We have to do that day in and day out.Phoenix (12-14) is in seventh place entering Tuesdays game, a half-game behind the Fever.Taurasi is fourth in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game. She was held to 13 points in an ugly loss to the Fever in July.Indiana has won the two previous meetings with the Mercury this season, including a 78-60 rout on July 8 in Phoenix. The Fever turned 27 Mercury turnovers into 38 points and outscored them 30-10 in the third quarter to pull away.The Fever have won the last four meetings with Phoenix. The Mercurys last victory in the series came in August 2014.Tuesdays game marks the beginning of the final 10 games of Indiana standout Tamika Catchings career. The future Hall of Famer has announced she is retiring after the season. White is also leaving after the season to become the coach at Vanderbilt. Eric Staal Jersey . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Devan Dubnyk Jersey . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. http://www.cheapwildjerseys.com/ . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker rm lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Zach Parise Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Matt Dumba Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. LONDON -- To get back to .500 and in contention for the AFC North lead, the Cincinnati Bengals need to win the strangest home game in their history, 3,955 miles (6,365 kilometers) from Paul Brown Stadium.Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says jet lag from Fridays red-eye flight to London wont be an issue when Cincinnati (3-4) takes on the Washington Redskins (4-3) at Wembley Stadium in London. He says the key question is whether the Bengals, red hot this time a year ago, can beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season. He counseled his players to hit the hay as sn as possible on the eight-hour flight.The focus was on ... the ability to shut down and go to sleep after dinner on the plane, and wake up and its Friday morning, Lewis said after the Bengals first groggy training session on a rugby field in north London.That advice was easier said than done for left tackle Andrew Whitworth, the Bengals biggest player at 6 ft 7 and 330 pounds. Before boarding Thursday nights flight, hed just been cleared to play after suffering a concussion last Sunday in the Bengals 31-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns -- and couldnt get his mind or body into the idea of early shuteye. A first-class fully reclining seat, it turns out, doesnt fit a Whitworth.They were made for people a little shorter than me. Id have to bend into a fetal position to fit. Id have to fly on the NBA plane probably to be comfortable, Whitworth said. I manned it up and am still working on Wednesday nights sleep. Im not an on-command sleeper. Ive got four little kids, so Im not used to sleeping a whole lot anyways.The Bengals have reached the playoffs each of the last five seasons but lost in the first round each time, the worst such streak in NFL history. Despite returning the core of their team, theyve struggled to match their 2015 start, which saw them reach 8-0 and cruise to the AFC North championship.The team has planned a sightseeing mission to Tower Bridge on the River Thames on Friday night, when family and friends join players for a meal with a spectacular view. That event, t, is designed to ensure players dont nod off t sn.Ive got no idea wwhat time it is.dddddddddddd The whole days been a blur, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. But Im sure the Redskins are feeling exactly the same way. Both sides need to wake up for Sunday.HEALTHY BENGALS: Cincinnati enters Sundays game at full strength on both sides of the ball. The biggest change could be felt in the passing game, where tight end Tyler Eifert is expected to be featured after seeing limited action last week versus Cleveland in his return from offseason ankle surgery. Eifert has been a favored goal-line target of quarterback Andy Dalton, catching a team-record 13 touchdowns last year.Eiferts return could bst a passing attack that has struggled to find the end zone despite boasting top-flight targets in the conferences receiving yardage leader, A.J. Green, and New England import Brandon LaFell .Obviously Tyler is such a big part of our offense, and having him back and ready to go is big for us, his ability to make plays, Dalton said. If hes the guy this week, itd be great.Washingtons roster, by contrast, lks like a MASH unit, with key starters listed as questionable going into their own trans-Atlantic flight. Among those Redskins nursing injuries and uncertain to play Sunday are running back Matt Jones, cornerback Josh Gordon and left tackle Trent Williams.Game notes The Bengals held their first training session on English soil without pads or helmets on the artificial turf field at Saracens Rugby Ftball Club in north London. Several dozen fans and curiosity-seekers, mostly local children who have the week off from schl, cheered from the stands as the teams punting unit worked out under dull gray skies. ... The majority of Bengals starters got to lie down in first-class seats on their chartered Virgin flight from Cincinnati as team officials advised everyone to sleep as much as possible while losing five hours on the clock. But those further down the depth chart had to make do with snzing across three seats in coach.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '