LOS ANGELES – What jet lag? Returning from the Olympic break, the Monarchs were no match for the Sparks' golden girls Thursday night as Los Angeles turned back Sacramento 78-63 at Staples Center.

Despite an emotional lift from the return of DeMya Walker and a strong first quarter, the Monarchs could not keep up with Los Angeles' trio of Olympians, who showed few signs of exhaustion from the grueling Beijing Games. Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones combined for 44 points, 23 rebounds and 15 blocks as the Sparks bounced back into action with a vengeance.

With the victory, Los Angeles (16-12) took sole possession of third place in the Western Conference standings and secured the postseason tiebreaker over Sacramento (15-13) with six games remaining.

"They blocked 15 shots and disrupted a lot of others," Monarchs coach Jenny Boucek said. "We finally got back into sync down the stretch when we kind of found our rhythm, but L.A. is a very good team."

Nicole Powell (12 points) and Kara Lawson (10) paced the Monarchs, who endured lengthy scoring droughts.

"For us, we rely on our defense to fuel our offense," said Lawson, who shared Olympic gold with the Sparks' Big Three. "But we didn't do a good job in the second and third quarters of defending them. That forced us to play their half-court game. We had to find ways to manufacture shots."

Lawson had no problem shifting from Olympic teammate to opponent against the L.A. threesome.

"It wasn't that difficult," she said. "I've played against them a lot more than I played with them. We said hello before the game, but then it was back to Sacramento-L.A., just like always."

An unexpected addition to the Monarchs' lineup, Walker played her first minutes since June 2, 2007. After recuperating from a torn patella tendon, the former WNBA All-Star broke her right kneecap in April while playing in Russia and was expected to miss this season. But with Rebekkah Brunson sidelined by her own knee problems, Walker stepped up her comeback schedule.

"She's a walking miracle," Boucek said. "She really hasn't played (much) in two years, but she's been improving significantly every day. She's going to help us."

Rusty and restricted by a heavy knee brace, Walker just was happy to be back on the court.

"It felt really good," said Walker, who finished with three points and two rebounds in 11 minutes. "I felt there were things I could do better, but you've got to start somewhere. I know what I'm capable of. It takes time, but I'm glad to get this one out of the way."

In their first game in a month, the Monarchs had all the early momentum. Capped by Powell's three-pointer, Sacramento built a 24-15 first-quarter lead before Parker took control.

Los Angeles' heralded rookie amped up the Sparks with eight second-quarter points as L.A. outscored the Monarchs 24-13 to assume a 46-39 halftime advantage. Sacramento did not have a field goal in the final 6:53 of the half.

Parker finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds as L.A. built a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Leslie blocked eight shots, two short of her career record.

"It wasn't pretty," said Leslie, who confessed to feeling in a different time zone. "Sacramento is a really tough team. We just hustled, worked hard and willed this one."

Call the Bee's Debbie Arrington, (916) 326-5514.