Oakwood Live From Press Row - Storm vs. Los Angeles
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Oakwood Live From Press Row Archive
Six is the Magic Number
Second Half: Storm 77, Los Angeles 72
The Storm wins its sixth straight game to tie the franchise record set during June of last year. How about this stretch for the Storm? It hasn't always gone quite as expected, but the Storm ended this homestand at 14-10 and tied for second in the Western Conference with the Houston Comets. Seattle has now opened up a lead of two and a half games over the Sparks, who are still in fourth place in the West. Four Storm players score in double-figures, but it was the rebounds that won this game. The Storm outrebounded Los Angeles 16-8 in the second half, including six offensive boards. Lauren Jackson shoots just 3-for-11, but records her eighth double-double of the season. I'd be remiss if I didn't note that, in a losing effort, Lisa Leslie tied a WNBA record by shooting 8-for-8 from the field.
Heartstopper
Second Half: Storm 77, Los Angeles 72
If Anne Donovan had been wearing a heart monitor on the last two plays, what would it have read? After two Tamika Whitmore free throws, the Sparks chose not to foul and actually did force the turnover they wanted, with Betty Lennox throwing the ball to Chamique Holdsclaw. But Holdsclaw could not control, and Lauren Jackson came up with the ball. Jackson split two free throws to keep the door open for the Sparks, but Janell Burse came up with the rebound - her seventh offensive board of the night - and Lennox nailed two free throws to seal this one.
B-Money Money Again
Second Half: Storm 74, Los Angeles 70
10,000 (okay, 10,097, technically) on their feet at KeyArena thanks to Betty Lennox. Tendinitis in her wrist? What tendinitis? After an insanely difficult fadeaway jumper on the baseline by Chamique Holdsclaw made it a one-point game, the Storm goes pick-and-roll with Bird and Jackson (the most unstoppable play in this league) and the Sparks left Lennox open at the perimeter. Betty, 4-for-12 before the shot, buried the 3-ball to make it a four-point game - the largest lead since the Storm's first score of the second half. L.A. needs points in a hurry with 27.2 seconds left. The "Beat L.A." chants rain down on KeyArena.
Hustle Play
Second Half: Storm 71, Los Angeles 68
The Storm turns the ball over on its possession, but gets a big stop when Chamique Holdsclaw misses and Lauren Jackson chases down the rebound. That leads to a transition opportunity. Izzy Castro Marques can't hit the layup, but Lauren Jackson pulls down the rebound and is fouled by Lisa Leslie (her fifth). Jackson makes them both to make it 71-68 Storm with 1:10 to play.
130 Big Seconds
Second Half: Storm 69, Los Angeles 68
This game might not have had the pace we all expected, but it's got no shortage of drama as we're now at 13 ties and 13 lead changes. No team has led by more than three points in a great many minutes. The Storm went up three after a Sue Bird 3 (the 200th of her career - I mentioned 300 earlier, but that was a mistake) and a Betty Lennox fast-break layup. But L.A. answered with a Chamique Holdsclaw jumper. The Storm holds a one-point lead as we go to timeout with 2:10 left. Lisa Leslie has been brilliant for the Sparks, making all eight of her shot attempts. But the Storm has gotten it done at the free-throw line to keep the lead.
Back and Forth
Second Half: Storm 56, Los Angeles 56
Already five lead changes and four ties in the second half here, and expect more of the same over the final 6:46. Neither team has been able to take control of this game for anything longer than a minute or two.
LJ's Performance
Second Half: Los Angeles 48, Storm 45
There's an interesting comparison to be made between Lauren Jackson's game and what she did in the opener against the Sparks. Just as in that game, LJ is not hitting a lot of shots from the field (2-for-10), but this time she's going into the paint instead of shooting threes and the result is she's shot eight free throws, making seven. That's accounted for most of her 11 points.
Free Throw Shootout
Second Half: Los Angeles 46, Storm 44
At the 12:56 mark of the game, the Storm draws Los Angeles' eighth team foul. That means the Storm, which is struggling to score and shooting just 35.0% from the field tonight, will go to the free-throw line the rest of the game. The Storm has to do better on free throws than it has so far (14-for-21, 66.7%).
Whitmore's Motivation
Second Half: Storm 42, Los Angeles 40
From the Sparks media notes, which reveal that Tamika Whitmore's favorite song is "Motivation."
"Whitmore says she's been in the league for seven years and has been hated on since the beginning. So her motivation comes from these people and how they continually try to hate on her. But she realizes that they can't take away her spirit or motivation."
Because of that or something else, Whtimore's had a great season, but she's been a non-factor tonight so far after picking up two early fouls.
Great note from Elise Woodward: the Sparks starting five includes a Mique, a Tamika, a Tamecka and a Doneeka.
How Many Times?
Second Half: Storm 37, Los Angeles 34
Are we going to see Janell Burse called for an offensive foul when the Sparks flop?
Storm Takes Lead to Half
Halftime: Storm 35, Los Angeles 32
A three-point lead for the Storm as we go to the locker rooms. The two biggest reasons for that might be Alicia Thompson and Janell Burse. Thompson has come off the bench with six points and three rebounds in five minutes, the only bench scoring for the Storm. Burse has only four points, but has seven rebounds, an incredible five of them offensively. The Sparks have gotten a big effort from their bench - Christi Thomas and Laura Macchi have 14 points, while the L.A. starting five has combined for only 18. Lisa Leslie has made both of her shots, but she and Chamique Holdsclaw (2-for-8 shooting) have been only minor factors in the game thus far. For that matter, Lauren Jackson (four points, four rebounds, 2-for-7 shooting) has also been neutralized. It's been a very weird first half all around, but the big concern is the scoreboard, and that favors the Storm right now.
Donovan T'd Up
First Half: Los Angeles 29, Storm 29
Furious with an offensive foul on Janell Burse, Anne Donovan draws what I believe is her second technical of the season. Donovan has technicals in the last two games against Los Angeles. The KeyArena crowd has not exactly been appreciative of the refereeing in this game either, though it's been bad both ways.
Credit Chelle
First Half: Los Angeles 28, Storm 26
Some love for Alicia Thompson, who has been out of the rotation recently but has stayed ready. When Thompson was called on Friday against Charlotte, she was ready, hitting a jumper. She's ready again tonight with the Storm bench struggling, and has two free throws to pull the Storm within two. The Storm has been sloppy tonight, with seven turnovers, and should feel pretty good about being in the game right now.
Mabika Out
First Half: Los Angeles 28, Storm 26
I've forgotten to mention that Mwadi Mabika is apparently not playing tonight for the Sparks. This was not something that was mentioned before the game.
Storm Struggling
First Half: Los Angeles 26, Storm 19
Henry Bibby's timeout worked miracles. The Sparks did not score a field goal between timeouts, allowing Los Angeles to go on a 12-0 run and take a seven-point lead. The bench has not brought anything tonight and the Storm's offense looks like it did in the opener (without the 3s). Then, not playing together was a legitimate excuse. It's not now. This stretch has taken the KeyArena crowd completely out of the game and the Storm did not take advantage of Los Angeles playing a lineup of five reserves that should not have been so successful.
Italian Pride
First Half: Storm 19, Los Angeles 19
For the first time in WNBA history, three Italians on the floor: Laura Macchi and Raffaella Masciadri in for Los Angeles and Francesca Zara for the Storm.
Storm Out and Running
First Half: Storm 19, Los Angeles 14
Anne Donovan loves to see her team get out in transition, and that's just what's happening right now. The Storm is on an 8-0 run (and a 17-5 run going back further) to force Henry Bibby to take a timeout. Two Sue Bird 3-pointers give her 299 for her career and have blown up the Los Angeles defense. Meanwhile, the Sparks have gone to the perimeter. Edneisha Curry and Raffaella Masciadri in coming back from a timeout.
Up and Down Already
First Half: Los Angeles 10, Storm 9
It's safe to say there's a different vibe in today's first half than Friday's slow-paced game with Charlotte. L.A. raced out to a 7-0 lead, but the Storm has answered with a 9-3 run. Iziane Castro Marques has gotten a lot of opportunities and missed her first four shots before hitting two in a row. Two early fouls on Tamika Whitmore and the Storm has been aggressively getting the ball in the paint, the opposite of the first game at the Key against L.A..
Lineup Change
First Half: Los Angeles 4, Storm 0
Hadn't caught this before the game, but Tamecka Dixon starts today for the first time since the All-Star break. She's been bothered by a sore left knee and played limited minutes.
Smith Trade Takes
Pregame
Obviously, the big talk before the game was yesterday's blockbuster trade that sent Katie Smith to Detroit and the Minnesota Lynx get Chandi Jones and a first-round pick.
"I've been hearing rumors of that," said Anne Donovan. "The actual what-for-what trade surprised me.
"It's an interesting experiment in my mind, because Katie was the only remaining veteran payer on that team. From a leadership standpoint, which I'm very high on, especially this season, experience and all those things, that's tough to replace."
With the Lynx two games back of the Storm, the move potentially may have an impact here in Seattle.
"To me, that move hurts you in the playoff push," Donovan said. "As an outsider, and again I don't pretend to know all the reasons why they made that trade, but it looks like you're conceding a playoff spot with that move. It certainly helps them this year, but we all live in the moment in this league."
As for Smith's recent struggles, Donovan believes trade rumors might have played a role in that.
"I've been watching her box scores," said Donovan. "My guess is there was some discussion going on for quite a while and she was privy to it. It certainly affected her play on the court."
For more on the trade, David Locke and I both have takes you can check out on the storm.wnba.com frontpage.
Signing On
Pregame
A big night at KeyArena tonight as the Los Angeles Sparks are here in one of the WNBA's best rivalries. The Storm is looking for a split of the season series with L.A. and to avenge a blowout loss to the Sparks here at the Key on Opening Day on May 21. The Sparks are a game and a half back of the Storm in the battle for the third playoff spot in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury lurking behind, so tonight's outcome could be important for playoff positioning. It should be an outstanding one, so stay with us all night long.
