Auburn Hills, MI -- (Sports Network) - Deanna Nolan poured in a game-high 21 points and dished out seven assists to lead Detroit past Connecticut, 70-59, in Game 1 of the WNBA's Eastern Conference Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Cheryl Ford added 11 points and grabbed a post-season record 23 rebounds while Katie Smith recorded 17 points for the Shock, who beat the Indiana Fever in the semifinal round. Lindsay Whalen and Erin Phillips each had 13 points for the Sun, who bested the Washington Mystics in the semifinals. Detroit dominated with a 22-10 fourth quarter to secure the win. The series now moves to Connecticut and the Sun will need to win the final two games to advance to their third straight WNBA Finals. Detroit, which is 4-0 versus Connecticut this season, is attempting to reach the championship round for the first time since winning the 2002 WNBA crown.

Final Score: Sacramento 64, Los Angeles 61

Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Yolanda Griffith scored 18 points and Nicole Powell netted 17 to lead the Sacramento Monarchs over the Los Angeles Sparks, 64-61 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Kara Lawson notched 13 points and five assists for the Monarchs, who lead the best-of-three series, 1-0. Game 2 is slated for Saturday at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. With the score tied at 61-61, Mwadi Mabika posted 23 points, including 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc and Temeka Johnson added 14 for the Sparks, who also dropped the first game of the three-game series in the last round against the Seattle Storm. Lawson bounced a pass from the corner to a cutting Griffith, who scored the go-ahead layup with 10 seconds left. Johnson missed a desperation layup attempt on the other end. Los Angeles fouled immediately with three seconds remaining, putting Lawson at the free-throw line, where she split the pair for the final margin.