Storm (5-15) at New York Liberty (12-6)

Madison Square Garden | New York, NY

August 2, 2015 | 12 p.m. PT

Broadcast: NBATV, MSG

 

2015 vs. New York: 0-1

Last meeting: L 81-77 (July 21, 2015)

Leading scorer: Sue Bird, Ramu Tokashiki 14

 

The Storm are coming off a heartbreaking loss on Friday and have lost three straight with two coming by single digits. Sunday will prove an opportunity to snap that streak but it will have to be done against the Eastern Conference’s best as Seattle will take on the New York Liberty.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Ramu Tokashiki

After some rough patches early against New York forward Tina Charles, Ramu Tokashiki settled in and was able to clamp down on the All-Star for a while. This also eased Tokashiki’s offensive game, where he scored 14 points against the Liberty on July 21. Expect her to make quick adjustments against Charles.

SUE APPROACHING 5K

Sue Bird scored 15 points on Friday night at Connecticut and is primed to join the 5,000-point club on Sunday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Liberty. She enters the game with 4,994 career points and with six more points would not only join the 5,000-point club but also become the only player in WNBA history to score 5,000 points and collect 2,000 assists.

JEWELL SHINING AMONG ROOKIES

Rookie Jewell Loyd has also become more comfortable in the WNBA and it is showing. She leads all WNBA rookies in scoring with 9.3 points per game, fifth in rebounding at 3.3, and is 38-for-40 from the stripe over the last 14 games. At 88.7 percent from the line, Loyd is second among all rookies and seventh in the league with at least three attempts per game. During the month of July, she averaged 10.5 points while shooting 46.7 percent from three and 93.9 percent from the line.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Storm has had one of the more grueling schedules this season, including a stretch prior to the break where the team played in nine cities in 17 days, and opens the second half of the season with a six-game road trip, its longest of the season. The roadie will include trips to Washington, Connecticut, New York, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

BIRD FLYING UP THE CHARTS

With her three pointer late in the fourth quarter on June 25, Sue Bird eclipsed Sheryl Swoopes for 13th on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. She is at 4,994 points with the next two on the list being Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who finished with 5,013 points, and Tangela Smith with 5,048.

BISHOP STRONG OFF BENCH
Abby Bishop volunteered to come off the bench four games ago and it has benefitted the Aussie forward. Since the move, she is averaging 8.2 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and scored 17 against Washington on Wednesday. In her previous 15 games (14 starts), Bishop averaged 5.1 points per game and shot 38.4 percent.

TOK TAKING CONTROL

Ramu Tokashiki ranks among the best rookies in several categories and, in doing so, has become one of the better players for the Storm. She has started the last five games and has scored in double figures in all but one, averaging 11.4 per game. Among her fellow rookies, Tokashiki is fourth in points (8.3), third in blocks (1.00), fourth in free throw percentage (86.8), and sixth in field goal percentage (44.9).

BIRD IN THE HAND, WORTH TWO IN THE BASKET

Sue Bird has dished out 27 assists in the last four games and recorded 12 in the win over Atlanta on July 18, two off tying her career high. Bird’s 5.3 assists per game is second in the league and she is one of only three players to be averaging at least 10 points and five assists (Courtney Vandersloot, Danielle Robinson).

‘THE BENCH MOB’

The Storm wrapped up one of its toughest stretches of the season last week with six of eight games on the road, which included seven cities in 19 days. As it has done all season, the bench played a major role. The second unit is averaging 27.8 points per contest, second best in the league, and is also accounting for 39.9 percent of the team’s total points, which is tops in the WNBA. On June 28, it poured out a league-high 54 points, which included a career-high 21 points from both Ramu Tokashiki and Jewell Loyd.

SCOUTING NEW YORK

The last matchup came down to the wire and a monster performance from Tina Charles was the difference in the game. She scored 30 points on 14-for-24 shooting and dominated the paint for most of the game. The backcourt of Tanisha Wright and Epiphanny Price will also have to be kept an eye on. They combined for 22 points and nine assists in the first meeting.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Points in the paint. The Storm must do a better job of limiting the chances for the Liberty in the paint. New York only hit two threes in the first meeting and are last in the league in three-point shooting. Take advantage of that. Also, the Storm did a good job of breaking out in transition last time and that will lead to some easy baskets for the youthful team.