Storm (5-12) vs. New York Liberty (10-5)

KeyArena | Seattle, Wash.

July 21, 2015 | 7 p.m.

Broadcast: ESPN3

 

2014 vs. New York: 0-2

Last meeting: L 84-80 (July 24, 2015)

Leading scorer: Camille Little 22

 

After clobbering Atlanta over the weekend, the Storm will aim to make it three straight when it plays host to the New York Liberty on Tuesday night at KeyArena.

It is the final game of a three-game homestand for Seattle and it will hit the road for a six-game trip, its longest of the season.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Alysha Clark

The fourth-year veteran has been the defensive stopper the last few games and it has come against some of the more versatile players in the league. She has picked up assignments on Nneka Ogwumike, DeWanna Bonner, and Angel McCoughtry and has slowed their production over those games. Clark also came through with a career-high 14 points of her own on Saturday against Atlanta.

BIG NAMES CAN’T WEATHER STORM

During the current two-game winning streak, the defense has been the star and it has done it against the stars. Los Angeles’ Nneka Ogwumike was held to 12 points and eight turnovers in the Storm’s win on Thursday. Seattle forced 25 turnovers in that game and followed it up by forcing Atlanta into 19 on Saturday. The WNBA’s second leading scorer Angel McCoughtry scored 16 points and committed seven turnovers.

JEWELL SHINING AMONG ROOKIES

Rookie Jewell Loyd has also become more comfortable in the WNBA and it is showing. She returned to the starting lineup on July 10 against Phoenix and, over her last nine games, she is averaging 12.7 points per game and scored in double figures in six of the last nine games, including a career-high 21 against Tulsa on June 28. She is leading all WNBA rookies in scoring with 9.5 points per game and is 29-for-31 from the stripe during this stretch. At 86.8 percent from the line, Loyd is fourth among all rookies and sixth in the league with at least three attempts per game.

BIRD IN THE HAND, WORTH TWO IN THE BASKET

Sue Bird dished out 12 assists in Saturday’s win over Atlanta, two off tying her career high. Bird’s 5.4 assists per game is a league best and she is one of only two players to be averaging at least 10 points and five assists (Courtney Vandersloot).

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. Over her last 10 games, the rookie has averaged 10.4 points while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. Among her fellow rookies, Tokashiki is fifth in points (7.8), fourth in blocks (0.94), second in free throw percentage (87.5), and seventh in field goal percentage (45.6).

‘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 28.3 points per contest (second in the league) and is also accounting for 41.2 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.

SUE APPROACHING 5K

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. WIth her nine points in the win over Los Angeles on Wednesday, she now sits at 4,960. The next two on the list are Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who finished with 5,013 points, and Tangela Smith with 5,048.

SCOUTING NEW YORK

Much like Seattle, the Liberty uses its bench a lot. New York averages 77 minutes per game from its bench, highest in the league, and gets 27.9 points from its second unit. The Liberty have won three straight and are coming off an impressive win at Phoenix on Saturday. Tina Charles scored 18 points and Epiphanny Prince chipped in 17 in the win and the bench contributed 35 to the cause.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Keep up the pressure. The Storm has forced 44 turnovers in the last two games and have done a good job of tying up its opponent’s best player. Seattle has threw multiple looks at Nneka Ogwumike and Angel McCoughtry and the same will likely be true against Tina Charles. That defense has turned into offense as the Storm has scored 49 points off those turnovers.