Storm stays hot against Mercury

PHOENIX — Struggling to keep its playoff hopes alive, the Storm needed someone to have a breakout game.

Sue Bird's timing couldn't have been better.

Bird made three three-pointers in the second half to help Seattle end its four-game trip with a 91-85 win over the Phoenix Mercury at US Airways Center. The victory — Seattle's third consecutive — moved the Storm (14-12) into a tie with Houston for third in the Western Conference.

The Storm knew Phoenix would play zone defense, forcing Seattle to take outside shots. It's a strategy that worked in the Mercury's last game against the Storm, but not with Bird finding her shooter's touch.

"It started off by hitting some jumpers," said Bird of her season-high 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting that included five three-pointers. "I remember the last time we played them, I didn't really shoot the ball well from the outside. I was thinking about that a lot, and I knew I was going to get the looks and I just wanted to knock down shots."

Bird was 0 for 5 from the three-point line when the Mercury defeated the Storm 87-80 at KeyArena on June 21, but the entire team was 3 for 18 from beyond the arc. Storm coach Anne Donovan emphasized that the zone would be used again. On Tuesday, the team was 10 for 24 from three-point range.

"You have to be able to shoot the ball from the outside," Donovan said. "Sue and Betty [Lennox] really waited for the right opportunities and we got them open looks, allowing us to take advantage of the zone from the outside."

Lennox scored 19 points on 9-for-19 shooting, including a three-pointer.

Bird scored her team's opening 10 points of the second half, putting the Storm in position to win a matchup that saw 13 lead changes and 13 ties. Trailing 70-66 with 8:51 remaining in the final quarter, the Storm outscored Phoenix 14-2 to take an 80-72 lead.

A team meeting following the Storm's 86-72 loss in Charlotte on July 20 helped the team re-focus and produce its current win streak. According to players, the meeting was positive and was more about what needed to be done to reach the postseason and discussing the different roles certain players need to take due to injuries.

"After we lost to Charlotte, we could have died; that could have been it," said Storm forward Lauren Jackson. "But we didn't and we just came back out stronger and we know what we gotta do to get in the playoffs.

"We have to handle adversity and we have to regroup as a team because we're good enough to win this thing, we've just got to believe it."

The Storm appear to have taken the meeting to heart, returning home from its trip 3-1.

If the season were to end today, the Comets would secure third place by head-to-head tiebreaker, defeating the Storm twice this summer with the final game scheduled for Aug. 12. That moves the Storm into the fourth and final playoff slot.

The Mercury (11-13) is tied with San Antonio (11-13) for fifth, and both teams are still in the postseason hunt.

But all Bird cared about Tuesday was her team taking care of business. She gave a soft fist pump as the final buzzer sounded, knowing Seattle took control of its postseason plans.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com