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Mercury-Storm Preview

Jun 6, 2010 - 6:18 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Phoenix (3-3) at Seattle (6-1), 9:00 p.m. EDT

While the Phoenix Mercury continue to find their way following an offseason of change, the Seattle Storm seem equipped to take their place as the Western Conference's best team.

The league-leading Storm look to extend their latest winning streak to four and stay perfect at KeyArena on Sunday night when they try to knock off the defending champion Mercury for a second time.

Diana Taurasi and Phoenix (3-3) have yet to win consecutive games while adjusting to life without three-time All-Star Cappie Pondexter, but Seattle (7-1) is enjoying having one of its two biggest stars back at full strength.

Center Lauren Jackson has missed the last two postseasons because of injuries, but the two-time MVP is making an early case for a third trophy through her first eight games back. The towering Australian is the league's fourth-leading scorer (21.4 points per game) and is 10th in rebounding (8.4 rpg).

Jackson had 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals in a 95-89 overtime win at Phoenix on May 22.

Playing an extra five minutes has been a common theme in the Western rivals' series recently. The final two of their four meetings in 2009 - both at KeyArena - went into overtime, with Phoenix prevailing in each.

The Storm would certainly prefer to avoid playing an extra session Sunday after a tough road game Saturday night. Jackson had 13 of her 17 points in the first three quarters, helping Seattle take a 16-point lead into the fourth against Los Angeles in the WNBA's second outdoor game.

It was the league's assist leader, though, that enabled the Storm to hold off the Sparks. Sue Bird scored seven of her season-high 22 points in a 1:30 stretch late in the fourth quarter to lift Seattle to a 79-75 win.

The Mercury had dropped back-to-back games prior to hosting Los Angeles on Friday, but managed to bounce back - barely. Less than three weeks after beating the Sparks by one, Phoenix did it again Friday with a 90-89 win at US Airways Center.

"I'll take it," Mercury coach Corey Gaines told the team's official website. "It was kind of ugly at times and I still don't think we're playing well."

Though Taurasi is again scoring at a high clip - she's second in the league at 22.2 ppg - she's shooting a career-worst 36.1 percent from the field.

Second-year forward DeWanna Bonner, though, has stepped up. The league's reigning Sixth Woman of the Year tied a season high with 24 points on Friday, matching her total from the loss to Seattle.

"She's looking like she would be an All-Star if she was starting for us," Gaines said. "She's really doing it all."