• Seattle Game Notes

Bird, rookies lead Seattle Storm past Shock 74-69

SEATTLE (AP) Sue Bird scored 17 points and rookies Jewell Loyd and Ramu Tokashiki combined for 25, including seven in the last three minutes as the Seattle Storm ended a five-game losing streak with a 74-69 win over the Tulsa Shock on Tuesday night.

Crystal Langhorne added 15 points for the Storm (3-7), who had lost their previous three games by a total of nine points, including a 93-89 loss at Tulsa on Sunday.

Riquna Williams had 23 points for the Shock (8-2), who entered the game with an eight-game winning streak, which matched the franchise record from 2003 when the team was in Detroit.

The Shock were without All-Star and leading scorer Skylar Diggins, who sprained a knee in the win Sunday and is expected to miss all four games on the team's current road trip. They were already without Odyssey Sims.

Rookie Brianna Kiesel stepped in and scored a career-high 13 with five assists.

Tulsa scored the first 12 points of the game and led 24-18 after one quarter. Seattle tied the game, but the Shock scored the final eight points of the half to build a 40-32 advantage.

Seattle controlled the third quarter with 12 field goals - after making 11 in the first half - on 18 shots and led 56-53. Bird, who sat out the last meeting to rest, gave the Storm their first lead at the 4:24 mark.

Loyd converted a 3-point play for a 69-65 lead with 2:56 to play. After Karima Christmas made two free throws for Tulsa, Tokashiki hit a 16-footer jumper from the right baseline at 1:05. Christmas answered against but after a Bird miss and rebound, Loyd sank two free throws with 14 seconds remaining for a four-point lead. Kiesel limped to the bench after committing the foul. Langhorne then added a late free throw.

Former Seattle Sonics coach Lenny Wilkens was courtside to help honor official scorer Bill Olden, who is retiring after 48 years working Key Arena stats.