Hot rookie heats up Mercury

Diana Taurasi became the first WNBA rookie to start her career with three 20-point games, helping the Phoenix Mercury to an 84-76 upset of the Seattle Storm on Friday night at Phoenix.

Taurasi, the league’s leading scorer with a 23.3-point average, finished with 22.

Sue Bird led Seattle with 22 points, and reigning league MVP Lauren Jackson had 20 and 11 rebounds, scoring in double figures for the 56th straight game. Betty Lennox added 13 points and Sheri Sam 10 for the Storm.

Sting 63, Fever 41: At Charlotte, N.C., Tammy Sutton-Brown had 16 points and seven rebounds as Charlotte held Indiana to a franchise low in its win.

Lynx 73, Mystics 62: At Minneapolis, Katie Smith scored 28 points, including a key 3-pointer late in the game as Minnesota defeated Washington.

Silver Stars 72, Monarchs 63: At San Antonio, Shannon Johnson scored 15 points and had a dozen assists to lead San Antonio past Sacramento.