Storm plays eight of next 10 games at KeyArena

Finally, the Storm gets to experience a real homestand.

Seattle, fresh off a five-day break, will play San Antonio this afternoon to kick off four straight at home. Eight of the Storm's next 10 games are at KeyArena, where the Storm has only played three times.

But the team is returning home a little bruised.

Seattle, which once led the Western Conference, lost by 27 to Los Angeles on June 28 in a game the Storm stars didn't even play in the fourth quarter. Then the team traveled to Phoenix, and was beaten 93-81 on Wednesday in an extremely physical game.

The Storm is 6-4 and third in the West, one game behind Phoenix and a half-game behind Minnesota.

"We had a couple of bad games and needed to come home and work on it," Storm forward Lauren Jackson said. "We get a lot of energy from KeyArena and we need to start taking that on the road with us. We definitely got beaten up a little bit in Phoenix and obviously in L.A., but that's when we need to take the energy that we play with in Key and take it on the road."

Jackson injured her foot, near the area of her surgically repaired right ankle, in the Phoenix loss, but said two off days helped to heal the injury.

"It's been a little bit stiff, but it's normal," said Jackson, the WNBA's leading scorer (22.2). "It has been a chronically bad ankle for a long time, but it's fine. It just jarred a little bit and it's not my ankle, it's the front of the foot."

The Storm hasn't lost a regular-season game at KeyArena since June 16, 2008, when Connecticut handed Seattle a 74-67 defeat. The Storm has won 13 consecutive home matchups since.

Part of the reason could be fan support — the Storm has two sellouts in its first three home games. But mainly, if the Storm keeps focus, it wins.

"We had a lack of focus, especially against L.A.," said center Janell Burse. "From the beginning of the game, we weren't ready to play."

Teammate Sue Bird added: "In the third quarter of the Phoenix game, we just kind of lost it a little bit. It was very physical and a lot of hitting. We were able to make a run, but not able to finish it off.

"It comes down to losing your focus for those few minutes, and in this league, you can't do that. Teams are too good; they'll take advantage just as we will when teams do it against us."

San Antonio (4-4) is the only Western Conference team the Storm hasn't played yet this season. The Silver Stars have several similarities to the schemes designed by Storm coach Brian Agler, a former San Antonio assistant.

The Silver Stars are winless on the road (0-3), losing twice when star Becky Hammon returned to Russia to play in the European women's basketball championship.

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