Jackson saves Storm after huge lead melts

Lauren Jackson’s driving layup with 10 seconds left helped the Seattle Storm beat the Detroit Shock 81-79 Tuesday at Auburn Hills, Mich., avoiding one of the biggest collapses in league history.

The Storm blew a 25-point second-half lead, but Jackson clinched Seattle’s playoff berth when she took a pass from Sue Bird and drove between Ruth Riley and Cheryl Ford for the basket.

Bird then jumped into Jackson’s arms at midcourt as Detroit called timeout. Deanna Nolan missed a game-tying shot with 3 seconds left.

Bird scored 20 of her 24 points in the first half and Jackson added 18.

Katie Smith led Detroit with 25.

Mercury 99, Lynx 68: At Phoenix, Diana Taurasi set a WNBA single-season scoring record (758 points), scoring 21 in a win over Minnesota that kept Phoenix’s playoff hopes alive.

Sun 85, Sky 59: At Chicago, Katie Douglas scored 19 points before leaving in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury as Connecticut beat Chicago to extend its franchise-best winning streak to 11 games.

Sting 68, Comets 57: At Charlotte, N.C., Sheri Sam had 13 points and 11 rebounds to help Charlotte beat Houston, spoiling Dawn Staley’s final game in the city where she played nearly seven seasons.

Mystics 91, Silver Stars 79: At Washington, Alana Beard scored 22 points and Washington made a season-high 10 3-pointers to beat San Antonio.

Fever 77, Liberty 44: At New York, Tamika Whitmore scored 14 points – all in the first half – and Anna DeForge had 13 to lead Indiana over New York.