WNBA tip-off: Breanna Stewart continues dominant run in Storm rout of Aces
It’s Storm season.
The Seattle Storm picked up right where they left off in the “wubble” with a rout of the Las Vegas Aces, 97-83, who they swept in the 2020 WNBA Finals.
Breanna Stewart, who won two titles with her UMMC Ekaterinburg team in the Russian Premier League and EuroLeague in April, only began practicing with the Storm this week. She finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds.
Sue Bird passed Lisa Leslie (6,263 points) on the career scoring list and moved into seventh all-time.
.@S10Bird has passed @LisaLeslie for 7th on the WNBA's all-time points list ‼️ pic.twitter.com/nzvGY0Samy
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 15, 2021
Late in the fourth quarter, there was a scary moment when it appeared that Bird injured her left leg on a foul by Aces center Liz Cambage.
Bird immediately went back toward the locker room, but was able to return and finish the game. She scored 11 points.
Sue checks back in and hits the dagger 🔥 @S10Bird pic.twitter.com/GMnOsHfoQd
— espnW (@espnW) May 15, 2021
Jewell Loyd added 22 points and six assists for the Storm.
Before the game, the Storm received their 2020 championship rings and raised their championship banner. The rings pay tribute to Breonna Taylor and the "Say Her Name" campaign that WNBA players championed during the 2020 season.
𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐳𝐧 💍 💍 💍 💍#TakeCover pic.twitter.com/oR2jD6Ar90
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 15, 2021
Reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson tried to keep the Aces in the game, scoring 24 points, including nailing her one 3-point attempt. Cambage, returning after opting out of the 2020 season, had 16 points and five rebounds.
Candace Parker dazzles in her Sky debut
The Candace Parker era in Chicago is off to a fast start.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Star looked comfortable in her first game with the Sky after spending the first 13 seasons of her career with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Parker scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished four assists in the Sky's 70-56 win over the Washington Mystics on Saturday as the WNBA's 25th anniversary season tip-off continued.
Kahleah Copper also was impressive, scoring a game-high 19 points with eight rebounds.
James Wade on Kahleah Copper: "She's capable of a lot. I don't know if we've seen her ceiling, but she's still a young player in this league. She works hard, she's a great teammate, and we're just going to encourage her to keep on finding new heights." @Winsidr
— James Kay (@James_M_Kay) May 15, 2021
The Sky assisted on 21 of their 22 field goals.
Tina Charles made her Mystics debut, scoring a team-high 14 points with six rebounds.
.@tinacharles31's first bucket as a Mystic!! 👏👏#TogetherDC pic.twitter.com/1wKgM7p4kJ
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) May 15, 2021
The Mystics are without Elena Delle Donne as she continues to recover from back surgery and get into game shape.
Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook continued his support of the Mystics and WNBA, taking in the game on Saturday. Also in the stands was UConn phenom Paige Bueckers, who is recovering from ankle surgery.
Paige Bueckers in the house for Sky-Mystics ‼️ @UConnWBB @paigebueckers1 pic.twitter.com/sL5RQ7ORfM
— ESPN (@espn) May 15, 2021
The Sky also won their first Commissioner's Cup game, the in-season tournament that will culminate with the top Eastern and Western Conference teams meeting for a $500,000 player prize pool.
The WNBA opening slate started with exciting Friday schedule that had winners by the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu and Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi.
More WNBA season preview from Yahoo Sports:
