WNBA : Whalen leads Sun past Storm

Sue Bird’s return to the Seattle Storm lineup was upstaged Friday by the guards of the surging Connecticut Sun.

Lindsay Whalen scored 19 points and Katie Douglas added 18 as Connecticut defeated the Storm 76-58 Friday night in Uncasville, Conn.

Asjha Jones had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Connecticut, which held All-Star Lauren Jackson to four points in the second half. Jackson scored a game-high 19 points for the Storm.

Bird missed five games after having surgery on her left knee two weeks ago to remove a torn meniscus.

Comets 80, Liberty 74: At New York, Tina Thompson scored 26 points and Tamecka Dixon, playing her sixth game since rejoining the Comets, had a season-high 20 to lead Houston to a victory over the Liberty.

Mystics 91, Lynx 87 (OT): At Minneapolis, Nikki Blue scored 12 points and sank three clutch shots down the stretch as Washington rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter to beat Minnesota.

“Lynx point guard Lindsey Harding, the first pick in this year’s WNBA draft, had reconstructive surgery on her left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to need six to nine months to recover.

Shock 89, Fever 80: At Indianapolis, Katie Smith had a season-high 28 points to lead Detroit to a victory over Indiana that pulled it into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Deanna Nolan scored 19 points and Cheryl Ford added nine points and 11 rebounds for the Shock.

Sparks 87, Mercury 77: At Phoenix, Sidney Spencer had career highs with 24 points and 12 rebounds to help Los Angeles beat the Mercury, snapping a franchise-record seven-game losing streak.

Silver Stars 81, Monarchs 71: At San Antonio, Becky Hammon scored 18 points and every starter for the Silver Stars scored in double figures as San Antonio defeated Sacramento.

The Silver Stars have won six in a row and surpassed their victory total from last season with 14 games remaining.

Kara Lawson scored 16 for the Monarchs.