Storm has a chance to cut into Phoenix lead

After answering questions from media following the Storm's win Saturday, Lauren Jackson fired back one of her own: "Did Phoenix win?"

"Yes," was the response.

Jackson crinkled her face in disappointment.

The Storm is 12-7 and keeping a close eye on the tightening Western Conference race, hoping to finish first or second to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Storm can make up some ground tonight at 7 at KeyArena against Phoenix, which leads the conference with a 15-6 mark.

The Mercury re-signed Penny Taylor in July, adding to an already potent offense that features the league's second- and third-leading scorers, Diana Taurasi (20.7) and Cappie Pondexter (19.5). Taylor, a 6-foot-1 forward, had reconstructive ankle surgery last spring.

She made her debut in Saturday's win against Minnesota, playing 10 minutes.

"They are a confident basketball team right now," Storm coach Brian Agler said of the Mercury, which has won eight of 10. "And Penny Taylor is a great player, but she's just getting back into form. They have a variety of people who can really scorch you if given the opportunity."

"Rebounding and how efficient we run our offense is going to be a factor. Try to contain Pondexter and Taurasi with the knowledge that if you give too much attention to those two, they have other people that can beat you."

The Storm has had trouble keeping its defensive stamina, having built leads and watched opponents work back into games. It has led to close matchups in six of the past seven games, including two wins in overtime.

Storm point guard Sue Bird has tried to keep the team focused during games, but admitted to feeling fatigue at times.

"She does a good job of trying to move on to the next moment," Storm guard Tanisha Wright said. "But at the same time, we still need to keep harping about what we're not doing well. Like, there was a span [on Saturday] where San Antonio just kept getting offensive rebounds and offensive rebounds. We moved on to say what we needed to do, but, 'Block out! Block out!' "

Seattle, one of the better defensive teams in the league, has taken a slight dip lately. In its past five games, the Storm has allowed opponents an average of 31 rebounds and to shoot 40.8 percent from the field — 37.4 percent from three-point range.

"You've gotta take wins any way you can get them," Bird said.

True, but those numbers will sting against Phoenix.

The Storm split two games this season with the Mercury at US Airways Center, winning the first game 93-84 in June and dropping the second 93-81 in July. This is the first meeting between the teams since Taurasi was charged for DUI, stemming from a traffic stop after beating Seattle. She served a two-game suspension before the All-Star break.

"We've definitely gotten better these past couple of days and our intensity has lifted," Jackson said. "But there are still things we need to improve if we want to win."

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