Bird lifts Storm to win
Sue Bird scored 31 points and the Seattle Storm earned an 83-68 WNBA win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
Camille Little added 18 for the Storm (8-9).
DeWanna Bonner led Phoenix (4-13) with 12 points.
Bird was 10-for-11 from the floor – her only miss was a 3-point attempt – and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.
“That’s about as well as I’ve seen anybody shoot the ball,” Storm coach Brian Agler said.
Bird’s scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting, outscoring Phoenix 13-12, in the first quarter. A pull-up 15-footer on a fastbreak and three 3-pointers were among her field goals during the quarter.
Bird scored 13 more in the second quarter.
A third-quarter 3-pointer pushed Bird to 29 points, her most since her career-high 33 points set her rookie season in 2002. She sat most of the fourth quarter and did not attempt a shot in the second half.
Olympian Diana Taurasi did not travel with the Mercury because of a strained left hip flexor.
