In today's sports in brief, Kentucky Derby winner Authentic is favored in the Preakness, the Clippers' Doc Rivers won't return as coach, and the Bears opt for Nick Foles at QB.
National Sports
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Breanna Stewart put forth a career effort to get the Seattle Storm back to the WNBA Finals.
With one more win, the Storm returns to the WNBA Finals for the second time in three years.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 20 points and the Seattle Storm beat the Minnesota Lynx 89-79 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 WNBA semifinal series.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — It’s been a crazy 48 hours for the Seattle Storm and it was only fitting that their WNBA playoffs series opener had a wild finish.
For the first time in weeks, the Storm’s injury report for its game Tuesday against Minnesota in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals didn’t include any injuries.
The WNBA postponed the start of the semifinal series between the second-seeded Storm and No. 4 Minnesota on Sunday because of inconclusive COVID-19 test results from Seattle players.
It's Minnesota. The No. 2 seed Storm will open the WNBA playoffs at noon Sunday in the best-of-five semifinals against the No. 4 Lynx, which squeaked past No. 5 Phoenix 80-79 on Thursday night in a single-elimination second round game in Bradenton, Florida.
“We’re far from done,” Storm guard Jordin Canada said Tuesday during a Zoom call.
Following a return from an Achilles injury that wiped out her 2019 WNBA season, Storm forward Breanna Stewart regained her place among the league’s premier players and named the Associated Press comeback player of the year.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jordin Canada scored 13 points and the Seattle Storm routed the Phoenix Mercury 83-60 on Friday night for their seventh victory in a row.
Will the Storm have Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird back for final regular-season games? It's questionable.
The Storm locked up a spot in the WNBA semifinals following a 107-95 shootout victory over Dallas on Wednesday in Bradenton, Fla.
During its five-game winning streak, the Storm have been checking the boxes on a lengthy to-do list before the start of the postseason.
Down two points with 0.8 seconds left, Jewell Loyd wasn’t thinking about her 1-for-6 3-point shooting in the game.
More than anything, the Storm's abundance of depth and relative fortune as it regards to health appears to be responsible for its first-place position in the WNBA standings.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Breanna Stewart led league-leading Seattle with 16 points despite a poor shooting night and the Storm welcomed back Sue Bird with a 71-64 victory over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night.
While sitting out the past two weeks to rest a nagging left knee injury, Sue Bird maintained she would have been available if the Storm was playing a playoff game.
There’s a poignant moment during an interview with Sue Bird when ESPN’s Lisa Salters asks the suddenly opinionated Storm star if she ever wants to revert to the soft-spoken wunderkind who shied away from controversial topics.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 20 points and Breanna Stewart added 15 points and Seattle used the second quarter to take control in a 74-68 win over Phoenix on Saturday.
WNBA players wore black T-shirts that read “Vote Warnock” to games on Tuesday to support Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is challenging Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) for her Senate seat.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 27 points and the Seattle Storm made all 10 of their free throws at the end to fend of the Atlanta Dream and Chennedy Carter 93-92 on Thursday night.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals and the Seattle Storm never trailed in their 81-75 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday night.
Any other year, an early-season matchup between two undefeated WNBA heavyweights who won the league title the previous two seasons would be cause for all sorts of hyperbole and over-the-top proclamations.
SEATTLE — A month ago Sue Bird was standing in the streets of Seattle joking with Storm fans in a video clip about — shocker — returning to the team for a 19th WNBA season.
SEATTLE — A month ago Sue Bird was standing in the streets of Seattle joking with Storm fans in a video clip about — shocker — returning to the team for a 19th WNBA season.
SEATTLE — The last time anyone saw Breanna Stewart on a WNBA court, the 2018 Player of the Year cradled the league’s championship trophy like a baby in one arm while clutching the Finals MVP award with her other hand.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Sparks, under the guidance of first-year coach Derek Fisher, have battled through adversity all season and leaned on that experience in their single-elimination second-round playoff game with defending-champion Seattle.
No one would have blamed Jordin Canada and Mercedes Russell if the first-year starters had fallen flat in their attempts at substituting for a pair of injured All-Stars.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Natasha Howard and Jewell Loyd combined to score 30 of their 38 points in the first half and the Seattle Storm beat the Dallas Wings 78-64 on Sunday.
LOS ANGELES — Candace Parker scored 20 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 14 points and 10 rebounds and the Los Angeles Sparks wrapped up the No. 3 seed with a 102-68 victory over the Seattle Storm on Thursday night.
SEATTLE — Sue Bird will not play for the Storm this year.
PHOENIX — Natasha Howard scored 11 of her 22 points in the first quarter and the Seattle Storm got off to a strong start en route to an 82-70 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night in a battle for WNBA playoff positioning.
SEATTLE — Jordin Canada had a career-high 21 points, eight assists and five steals and the Seattle Storm held on for a 92-75 win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
SEATTLE — For the first time in two years, the Seattle Storm has been swept by an opponent in the regular season.
SEATTLE — Teaira McCowan had 22 points and 19 rebounds and the Indiana Fever kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 63-54 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Shekinna Stricklen scored 24 points and made a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds left to help the Connecticut Sun rally from a late seven-point deficit and beat the Seattle Storm 79-78 on Friday night.
WASHINGTON — Aerial Powers led six Washington players in double figures with 16 points and the Mystics beat the Seattle Storm 88-59 on Wednesday night.
NEW YORK — Seattle coach Dan Hughes walked off the court after the Storm beat New York impressed with the atmosphere he just saw.
EVERETT — The crowd finally woke up halfway through the third quarter.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Candace Parker scored a season-high 21 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 83-75 on Sunday.
SEATTLE — It’s been 10 months since the Storm defeated the Washington Mystics in a three-game sweep to win the 2018 WNBA title.
SEATTLE — Several weeks before perennial WNBA All-Star point guard Sue Bird underwent knee surgery that could possibly sideline her for the entire 2019 season, Storm coach Dan Hughes decided to fundamentally change the team’s personality.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dearica Hamby scored 24 points to lead five Las Vegas starters in double figures and the Aces beat the Seattle Storm 79-62 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory at home.
SEATTLE — During a brilliant four-year career at Washington, Kelsey Plum almost single-handedly transformed UW women’s basketball games into must-see theater while attracting sellout crowds to witness the NCAA record-setting scoring dynamo.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Natasha Howard scored a career-high 33 points, Sami Whitcomb made five of Seattle’s 12 3-pointers and the Storm closed the game on a 10-0 run to beat the Minnesota Lynx 90-79 on Wednesday night.
