Notebook | Palmer gets start, further depleting Storm bench

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Storm forward Wendy Palmer started in place of All-Star Lauren Jackson against Sacramento on Thursday, finishing with five points as Seattle lost 81-72.

Jackson, the team's leading scorer (22.5) and rebounder (10.5), remained in Seattle with an undisclosed illness. She will undergo further tests, but as of game time Karen Bryant, the team's chief operating officer, had no updates.

Starting Palmer depleted an already struggling bench that averaged 8.8 points in the opening four games. Reserve opponents have averaged 24.0 points against the Storm.

An 11-year veteran, Palmer led the reserves with a 4.5 average. The group performed well in exhibition play and had a week of practice to jell with the starters that arrived late, particularly Jackson and guard Sue Bird. But the work hasn't transitioned to games.

Storm coach Anne Donovan spoke of the need for the team to develop better on-court chemistry. In the past two losses against San Antonio, when the games drew close and mistakes were made, the Storm dissipated.

"In light of the last two losses, that's [chemistry] something we've been thinking a lot about wanting to improve and work on," Bird said. "It's getting into a groove with each other and playing well. We just need to figure out how to do that."

Bird starts

Bird started despite concern about swelling in her left knee and scored a game-high 21 points. She wore a black sleeve over the knee and continues to ice the area and take anti-inflammatory pills after playing.

Bird tore her ACL in the same knee her freshman year in college, but said she hasn't had a problem with the area since microfracture surgery in 2003. She wants to do a more in-depth evaluation and send the results to her Connecticut doctors, but with the Storm playing five games in nine days, including Thursday's game, there isn't time for the procedure.

Notes

• Sacramento forward DeMya Walker limped around Arco Arena in a halter dress and brace with red, patent-leather flats. She suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear in her right knee on June 2 and was scheduled to undergo surgery this morning.

"I'm all right, everything happens for a reason," the All-Star said. "I'm just tired of all of this waiting."

• WNBA president Donna Orender attended the game. Orender will visit KeyArena on June 26.

Seattle
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Bird	35	7-12	2-2	0-1	3	3	21
Lennox	17	1-7	5-6	0-2	1	1	8
C. Marques	35	5-13	0-0	0-2	5	2	12
Palmer	32	2-7	1-2	1-13	2	5	5
Burse	30	5-9	0-0	0-0	2	3	10
Gearlds	24	4-6	0-0	4-5	2	2	10
Robinson	16	1-1	0-0	2-3	0	3	2
Wright	13	2-2	0-0	0-0	2	2	4
Fluker	4	0-1	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
Totals		27-58	8-10	7-27	17	21	72

Percentages: FG .466, FT .800. Three-point goals: 10-22, .455 (Bird 5-8, Gearlds 2-3, Castro Marques 2-7, Lennox 1-2, Palmer 0-2). Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 6 (6 tied with 1). Turnovers: 17 (Bird 2, Lennox, Castro Marques 4, Palmer 3, Burse, Gearlds 2, Robinson, Wright 2, Fluker). Steals: 8 (Lennox, Castro Marques 2, Gearlds 2, Robinson 2, Wright). Technical fouls: Burse.

Sacramento
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Penicheiro	16	0-3	0-0	1-1	4	2	0
Newton	23	5-12	4-5	2-2	1	3	14
Brunson	32	5-11	3-4	7-10	1	2	13
Powell	29	5-12	2-2	1-10	0	2	13
Griffith	24	3-3	8-8	2-5	3	2	14
Lawson	21	5-7	3-3	0-0	2	0	16
Haynie	19	1-6	0-0	0-1	4	0	3
Williams	18	2-5	0-0	3-6	1	0	4
Robinson	17	1-7	2-2	0-0	0	0	4
Atkinson	6	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0
Totals		27-68	22-24	16-35	17	11	81

Percentages: FG .397, FT .917. Three-point goals: 5-9, .556 (Lawson 3-3, Haynie 1-2, Powell 1-2, S.Robinson 0-1, Atkinson 0-1). Team rebounds: 9. Blocked shots: 0. Turnovers: 12 (Penicheiro 2, Newton, Brunson, Powell 2, Griffith, Lawson, Haynie, Williams, Robinson 2). Steals: 9 (Newton 2, Brunson, Powell 2, Lawson, Haynie, Robinson, Atkinson). Technical fouls: none.

Seattle	14	14	22	22	-- 72
Sacramento	16	17	31	17	-- 81

Attendance: 6,600.