Game: Seattle Storm (12-14) at Tulsa Shock (6-21). When: 5 p.m. PT Saturday. Where: Tulsa. Meeting: Seattle, 3-0. TV: None. Radio: 1090 AM
Big win. Long flight. Quick turnaround against a humiliated, weaker opponent.
The ingredients are there for a trap game for the Seattle Storm Saturday when it plays in Tulsa a Shock team handed its worst loss of the season, 101-74, Thursday night at KeyArena.
The Storm had its best 40 minutes of the season, with a franchise-record 29 assists on 37 baskets that led to a 59.7 percent shooting mark from the floor — including 14 of 20 behind the arc, matching a season high of 70 percent. No surprise the Storm hit the century mark in points for the first time this season.
Lauren Jackson, in her fifth WNBA game after the Olympics and a trip home to Australia, finally looked like herself, scoring 23 points in just 14 minutes.
“After the week we’ve had losing to Phoenix like that, everyone just wanted to get back on track,” Jackson said after the game. “We did a lot of scrimmaging, going up and back, just learning the plays for me and getting my legs. And everybody is getting used to playing with one another again. Some of the passes tonight were unbelievable from everyone.”
The Storm won the first two games of the season series with Tulsa by 18 and 13 points, then had the Thursday breakout. In the final matchup with Tulsa, the Storm seek a series sweep as it closes in on clinching a playoff berth for a WNBA-record ninth consecutive time.
Tulsa could get a lift Saturday with the return of Temeka Johnson. The Shock’s veteran starting point guard missed the last three games due to abdominal and ankle injuries. Her status is day-to-day.
After Saturday, the four-game road trip gets tougher with tests in Atlanta, Indiana and San Anotonio, all with winning records.
Coaches: Brian Agler is in his fifth season with the Storm. Gary Kloppenburg is in his first year with the Shock.
SEATTLE STORM 2012 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/18/12 | vs. Los Angeles | L | 66-72 | 0-1 |
| 5/22/12 | at Los Angeles | L | 61-74 | 0-2 |
| 5/27/12 | at Minnesota | L | 71-84 | 0-3 |
| 6/1/12 | vs. Tulsa | W | 76-58 | 1-3 |
| 6/3/12 | at Los Angeles | L | 65-67 | 1-4 |
| 6/6/12 | at Minnesota | L | 55-79 | 1-5 |
| 6/9/12 | at San Antonio | L | 67-80 | 1-6 |
| 6/13/12 | at Chicago | L | 58-74 | 1-7 |
| 6/15/12 | at Tulsa | W | 86-73 | 2-7 |
| 6/17/12 | vs. Minnesota | W | 65-62 | 3-7 |
| 6/22/12 | vs. San Antonio | W | 82-76 | 4-7 |
| 6/24/12 | vs. Washington | W | 72-55 | 5-7 |
| 6/26/12 | at Washington | W | 79-71 | 6-7 |
| 6/30/12 | at New York | L | 59-77 | 6-8 |
| 7/1/12 | at Connecticut | W | 89-83 | 7-8 |
| 7/7/12 | at Los Angeles | L | 59-83 | 7-9 |
| 7/8/12 | vs. Phoenix | W | 83-68 | 8-9 |
| 7/11/12 | vs. Atlanta | L | 59-70 | 8-10 |
| 7/13/12 | at Phoenix | W | 83-64 | 9-10 |
| 8/16/12 | vs. Phoenix | W | 72-58 | 10-10 |
| 8/18/12 | vs. Los Angeles | L | 71-82 | 10-11 |
| 8/21/12 | vs. Minnesota | L | 73-86 | 10-12 |
| 8/23/12 | vs. Indiana | L | 66-68 | 10-13 |
| 8/26/12 | vs. New York | W | 84-66 | 11-13 |
| 8/30/12 | vs. Phoenix | L | 68-74 | 11-14 |
| 9/6/12 | vs. Tulsa | W | 101-74 | 12-14 |
| 9/8/12 | at Tulsa | — | — | — |
| 9/11/12 | at Atlanta | — | — | — |
| 9/12/12 | at Indiana | — | — | — |
| 9/14/12 | at San Antonio | — | — | — |
| 9/16/12 | vs. Connecticut | — | — | — |
| 9/18/12 | vs. Chicago | — | — | — |
| 9/21/12 | vs. San Antonio | — | — | — |
| 9/23/12 | at Phoenix | — | — | — |
