The expansion Atlanta Dream know they must outhustle opponents to have a chance to win.

They did that Sunday before another Philips Arena WNBA sellout crowd, but it still wasn't enough to hang with the star-studded Los Angeles Sparks.

Led by Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker, who drew a large contingent of orange-clad Tennessee fans, the Sparks built a 20-point halftime lead and rolled to a 74-56 win.

The Dream (0-3) could not recover from 22 percent shooting in the first half. Coach Marynell Meadors loved her team's effort but said the Sparks' length made it tough to get easy looks.

"I don't know how many Olympians they have on that team, but they have great talent and I don't think we're going to see anybody in the league better than they are," Meadors said. "We've got to keep working and building. We've got a foundation, but they're 12 years into the league and they've got great players."

Parker, who scored a record 34 points in her WNBA debut, enthralled the crowd despite shooting 5-of-14. Her no-look passes drew oohs and aahs, and she finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

"The orange follows us everywhere — it's great," said Parker, one of three former Vols on the Sparks.

Leslie, the three-time league MVP, swatted six shots and added 14 points and 10 rebounds. She was one of four Sparks starters who scored in double figures.

When Leslie sat out last season to give birth to her first child, the Sparks plummeted to 10-24 then won the draft lottery and took Parker with the No. 1 overall pick.

Now L.A. (2-0) is one of the favorites to win the championship.

Forward Iziane Castro Marques led the Dream with 17 points, and center Ericka Desouza was the only other player in double figures with 11. Leading scorer Betty Lennox, who was averaging 19 points, was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Marques' driving baskets sparked a second-half spurt that cut the deficit to 14.

"Nobody is going to give us anything," Marques said. "So we've got to play [aggressive] like that every time."

The game drew an announced crowd of 10,039, a second straight sellout in re-configured Philips, but there were about 500 no-shows.

Meadors called the fan support "awesome."

Parker said Atlanta should be a great market for the WNBA.

"They're going to do great things this year with their fan base," Parker said. "It was fun to come back here and play."

Atlanta will try for its first win Tuesday in Washington.