Short-handed Seattle Storm lean on stars to lift them past top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in WNBA semifinals opener

LAS VEGAS — The Seattle Storm were on the road and down a starter to injury as they began the WNBA semifinals Sunday at No. 1 seed Las Vegas. But the Storm's other four usual starters — all past No. 1 draft picks — did what they have made great careers of doing best. And Seattle struck first with a 76-73 victory in Game 1 at a sold-out Michelob Ultra Arena.

Guard Jewell Loyd and forward Breanna Stewart, back-to-back top picks by the Storm in 2015 and 2016, had 26 and 24 points, respectively. Both are among the most unstoppable clutch scorers in the league, and they came through again and again Sunday for Seattle.

Guard Sue Bird, the team's top selection in 2002, had 12 assists and no turnovers. It was the exact number she needed to break the WNBA career playoff record for assists; Bird now has 342. She is also the career leader in regular-season assists, finishing with 3,234. Bird, who turns 42 in October, will retire at season's end.

And center Tina Charles, who was the top pick by the Connecticut Sun back in 2010 and joined the Storm in late June, set a Seattle franchise record with 18 rebounds. Without forward Gabby Williams, a strong defensive presence who is sidelined by concussion symptoms, the Storm still held the Aces well below their season scoring average.

«Coming into this game, the thing I knew I could control was just being on the boards,» said Charles, who also scored 13 points. «Start early outlets, get second-chance opportunities. I know those are always key come playoff time.»

It's also key for a road team to get off to a great start in a best-of-five series, and No. 4 seed Seattle did that.

Stewart, who also had six rebounds and three blocked shots, became just the fourth player in WNBA history to score