HOW TO WATCH
Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network. Fans can also follow live stats at StormBasketball.com, or on Twitter by following @SeattleStorm.
LAST TIME OUT
In a game of alternating runs, the Seattle Storm (5-4) fell to the Connecticut Sun (8-1) on Sunday, 81-67, to conclude its four-game road trip.
Tallying her fifth 20-point game this season, Natasha Howard finished with a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds, pouring 11 points in the first 10 minutes alone. Despite her hot start, the Sun went on a 13-3 run in the over the last 3:34 of the first quarter to take an 11-point lead.
Shavonte Zellous and Sami Whitcomb combined for a 9-0 stretch to start the second frame, but Connecticut responded with a 14-3 run of its own, pushing the lead back to double digits entering the break.
Coming out of the locker room, the Sun was held scoreless for nearly four minutes as Storm surged back with a 12-0 run. Jewell Loyd contributed 11 points and three steals in the third quarter as Seattle stayed within one possession of the Sun.
The momentum quickly shifted in the fourth quarter as Connecticut went on an 18-5 run to climb to a 17-point lead. Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones contributed eight points each in the quarter and the Sun managed to stay out of reach to secure a franchise-record 12th straight home win dating back to July 24, 2018.
SERIES HISTORY
Seattle looks to even the all-time series against the Los Angeles Sparks after an overtime loss at KeyArena on July 10 last season snapped the Storm’s six-game home winning streak over the 2016 WNBA champions.
SCOUTING LOS ANGELES
Plagued by turnovers, the Los Angeles Sparks (4-4) were unable to catch the sharpshooting Washington Mystics (5-3), stumbling at home, 81-52. Two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker was held to three points (1-9 FG) and committed six turnovers in her season debut after missing the Sparks’ first seven games with a hamstring injury.
After eight minutes of play, Los Angeles trailed 20-3. Their 21-point halftime deficit proved insurmountable, as the Sparks shot under 30 percent from the field and allowed 28 points off 27 turnovers. Nneka Ogwumike and Sydney Wiese each contributed 12 points in the blowout loss.
Washington’s Ariel Atkins recorded a season-high 22 points, shooting 53.8 percent from the field, while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough came off the bench for a career-high 17 points. Elena Delle Donne nearly matched her personal best with15 rebounds, and LaToya Sanders recorded a career-high six steals.
UP NEXT
The Seattle Storm heads to Alaska Airlines Arena at the University of Washington to host the Indiana Fever on Sunday, June 23 at 4 p.m. PT. The 20th season anniversary team will be revealed at halftime.