Bird, Loyd lead Storm to 97-74 rout of Lynx in return home

SEATTLE — Jewell Loyd scored 17 points, Sue Bird added 11 points and nine assists in what could be her final season and the Seattle Storm returned to their home building with an emphatic 97-74 victory over the Minnesota Lynx to open the WNBA season Friday night.

The 41-year-old Bird started her 19th season playing for Seattle with her 550th game. Bird was greeted with raucous applause during pregame introductions and equally loud roars for each of her made baskets by the announced crowd of 12,904 in Seattle’s debut in the rebuild Climate Pledge Arena. She made a three 3-pointers and spent most of the fourth quarter as a spectator after Seattle outscored Minnesota 34-14 in the third quarter.

Bird’s 3-pointer in the opening moments of the second half helped spark an 18-2 Seattle run after the teams were tied at 41 at halftime. Breanna Stewart scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half in her first game after missing the end of last season with a foot injury.

Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota with 16 points and Aerial Powers added 14.

Seattle returned to its home in the heart of the city after three years of being nomads. Seattle spent the 2019 and 2021 seasons playing in venues around the Puget Sound region while Climate Pledge Arena was under construction. The 2020 season was played in the WNBA bubble in Florida.

The Storm held a preseason game in the building two weeks ago, but the opener was the first meaningful WNBA game for Seattle in its home arena since Game 2 of the 2018 Finals. Seattle posted a 228-117 record regular season and postseason combined in the building from the team’s inception through its 2018 championship.

Epiphanny Prince added 13 and Stephanie Talbot had 11 for Seattle.

Minnesota started the season without two-time All-Star Napheesa Collier, who is pregnant and expecting later this month. The Lynx were also without Kayla McBride, who is still playing overseas, and forward Angel McCoughtry due to right knee soreness. It’s been a chaotic week for Minnesota that included the signings of Nikolina Milić and Yvonne Turner to contracts on hardship exemptions in order to fill out the roster.

Fowles has already announced this will be her last season and while all signs point to this being the final season for Bird, she hasn’t made that definitive. The pair of longtime stars had an enthusiastic hug before tipoff then went out and showed that both are still playing at an elite level.

ACES 106, MERCURY 88

PHOENIX — Dearica Hamby scored 24 points and the Las Vegas Aces won in Becky Hammon’s first game as coach, beating the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 106-88 on Friday night to open the WNBA season.

Phoenix was without Brittney Griner as she nears the three-month mark of her detention in Russia with no timetable for her release.

Hammon replaced Bill Laimbeer with the Aces after serving as an assistant coach for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs since 2014.

Kelsey Plum added 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists for Seattle, and Jackie Young also had 20 points.

Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 12 of her 25 points in the third quarter for Phoenix. Diana Taurasi was held to nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.

SPARKS 98, SKY 91

CHICAGO — Jordin Canada had 21 points and eight assists in her Los Angeles debut, Nneka Ogwumike added 19 points and the Sparks beat defending champion Chicago.

Ogwumike made a jumper in the lane with 51.5 seconds left to extend Los Angeles’ lead to 94-91, and she deflected a pass at the other end that led to two free throws by Canada. Chicago turned it over again and Canada sealed it with two more free throws.

Canada also made three key free throws to tie it at 88 with 1.5 seconds left in regulation after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt.

Key offseason acquisition Liz Cambage added 12 points in 24 minutes for Los Angeles. Lexie Brown and Chennedy Carter also scored 12 points apiece.

Dana Evans scored a career-high 24 points in her debut with Chicago. Candace Parker had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, but also six turnovers.

MYSTICS 84, FEVER 70

WASHINGTON — Elena Delle Donne had 21 points and nine rebounds in her first season-opening game since 2018 to help Washington beat Indiana.

Natasha Cloud added 17 points and six assists, and Ariel Atkins had 15 points.

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 18 points. NaLyssa Smith, the second overall pick last month in the WNBA draft, had 13 points and 13 rebounds.