HOW TO WATCH

Tuesday’s game in Las Vegas will be televised on ESPN2. Fans can also follow live stats at StormBasketball.com, or on Twitter by following @SeattleStorm.

LAST TIME OUT

The Seattle Storm avenged a narrow road loss with a 69-66 win against the Aces on Friday at home. Earning WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors for the third time this season, Natasha Howard recorded her fifth double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Sami Whitcomb impressed from beyond the arc with 14 points on 4-for-7 three-point shooting and grabbed five rebounds.

Taking an early lead, the Storm outscored the Aces 19-6 in the opening frame as Whitcomb opened play draining three buckets from 3-point range. With an 11-point lead to start the second quarter, the Aces responded with a 14-6 run to tie the game at 27 all. While the teams traded blows, Alysha Clark nailed back-to-back threes to help the Storm gain a 43-35 advantage heading into halftime.

Pushing the pace in the third period, the Aces scored seven consecutive points following a turnaround hook from Mercedes Russell. With six minutes left in the quarter, A’ja Wilson was forced to exit the game with an ankle injury. Returning to her alma mater where she became the NCAA leading scorer, Kelsey Plum ended the frame with five quick points.

Crystal Langhorne scored six of the Storm’s eight points of the final frame, before Seattle was stopped in its tracks at the 6:39 mark, going 0-for-11 from the field with three shot-clock violations. With less than 30 seconds remaining, Jordin Canada ended the Storm’s drought with a pair of free throws, but Kayla McBride knocked down a three-pointer to get within one of the Storm. Fouled once again, Canada returned to the line to knock down another pair.

Liz Cambage cut the deficit down to one point with a quick bucket under the rim, finishing with eight points in the final 10 minutes. Howard was sent back to the charity stripe, as the Storm went 10-for-10 in the fourth quarter for a perfect 20-for-20 from the stripe. Plum was unable to connect the potential game tying three with 4.2 seconds left as Langhorne secured the ball for the win.

SERIES HISTORY

With the series tied at 1-1, the Storm will play the Aces for the second time in five days. The winner of this game could determine a potential playoff-seeding tiebreaker, as Seattle enters the matchup trailing Las Vegas by one game for first place. Seattle is seeking its 11^th regular-series win vs. the franchise.

Each matchup this season has seen a star player exit the game early due to injury. On June 25, Jewell Loyd left the game after sustaining a sprained ankle on a breakaway play in the opening minutes. Last Friday, A’ja Wilson left the game with an ankle injury with six minutes to play in the third quarter; she has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game.

Natasha Howard and Liz Cambage recorded double-doubles in their first two matchups this season.

SCOUTING LAS VEGAS

The Las Vegas Aces secured a close win against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, 79-74. With a team-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, Liz Cambage recorded her fifth double-double of the season. Kayla McBride contributed with 20 points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist, while the 2018 Rookie of the Year A’ja Wilson sat out due to an ankle injury she sustained on Friday in Seattle.

Dearica Hamby and McBride contributed 17 of the Aces’ 29 first-quarter points to take a four-point advantage into the second frame. Las Vegas pushed the lead to nine with 6:44 left in the first half, but the Lynx ignited a 10-3 stretch at the 5:09 mark to get within two points of the Aces at the half.

Odyssey Sims contributed eight points in the third quarter to give the Lynx a brief advantage, but the game continued back and forth until Lexie Brown tied the game with a jumper with 17.4 seconds to play in the period.

Cambage poured 11 points and five rebounds into the fourth frame to help the Aces retake the lead. Minnesota got within three points of the Aces with 1:33 left in regulation forcing a Las Vegas timeout. However, the Aces went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute to seal a 79-74 victory.

 UP NEXT

AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019 festivities begin on Friday, July 26 at 4 p.m. PT with the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. On Saturday, July 27, Team Wilson and Team Delle Donne meet in the 16^th WNBA All-Star Game televised live at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC. The Storm will be represented by first-time All-Star Natasha Howard and second time All-Star Jewell Loyd, who were both selected as starters. The Storm will return to the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash. on Friday, Aug. 2 to host the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. PT.