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Silver Stars-Storm Preview

Jun 28, 2010 - 7:26 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

San Antonio (5-7) at Seattle (13-2), 10:00 p.m. EDT

The WNBA-best Seattle Storm already have two blowout wins over the San Antonio Silver Stars this season, but they may be without star point guard Sue Bird as the teams meet for a third time Tuesday night.

Bird left two minutes into Sunday's game at Tulsa with lower back pain, and her Seattle teammates fell behind by as many as 13 points in the second half against a Shock team that had lost seven straight.

The Storm (13-2) managed to regroup in time to win their fourth consecutive game, outscoring Tulsa 26-10 in the fourth quarter of the 83-72 victory. Lauren Jackson led the way with 24 points, while Svetlana Abrosimova added a season-high 21.

But Abrosimova acknowledged that the absence of Bird had an impact on Seattle, and it's unclear whether the six-time All-Star will play Tuesday. Bird also has dealt with a knee injury lately.

"We missed Sue," Abrosimova said. "When things were chaotic was when we needed her to help us calm down and play our game."

Seattle still has plenty of other star power, with Jackson ranked second in the league in scoring (20.8 points per game) and Swin Cash among the top 15 (15.1).

The Storm's best start in franchise history, which includes an 8-0 record at KeyArena, has given the team some margin for error as it chases a seventh consecutive playoff berth. Seattle holds a 6 1/2-game lead over second-place San Antonio in the Western Conference.

The Silver Stars (5-7) haven't appeared any closer in the head-to-head matchups, losing 84-56 at home on May 30 and 82-61 at Seattle on June 20. In the most recent meeting, the more physical Storm outrebounded San Antonio 46-23.

"We got outhustled and punched up in all areas of the game," Silver Stars coach Sandy Brondello said. "I thought we were a little tougher than that, but obviously not. (Seattle) is the best team in the league. We knew it was hard coming into their home court, but allowing 17 offensive boards is just unacceptable."

San Antonio, last in the WNBA in rebounding margin, got a much more encouraging effort - especially from its inside players - in an 80-66 home win over Minnesota on Saturday night.

Center Michelle Snow scored a season-high 23 points and added nine rebounds as the Silver Stars had a 37-23 edge on the glass. Becky Hammon added 21 points and 10 assists, both matching season highs.

"My challenge is, can we do two games in a row? That's the key now," Brondello said. "We've won one game; there's no need to jump around, 'Hoorah!' Seattle has dominated us in two games. Can we put our best game forward? We'll see."