SEATTLE - Sue Bird scored 21 points to lead five players in double figures, and the Seattle Storm beat the Connecticut Sun 86-74 Thursday night to earn their sixth consecutive playoff berth.
Swin Cash and Lauren Jackson had 17 points apiece for the Storm (17-11), who trail Phoenix in the Western Conference. Tanisha Wright added 15 points and Camille Little 13.
Bird also had seven assists, as the Storm won their fourth straight game and ended a seven-game losing streak to the Sun covering the last four years.
Lindsay Whalen had 18 points for Connecticut (14-14), which never led in the game. The Sun missed an opportunity to move into a tie for second with Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.
The Storm led 69-61 about midway through the fourth quarter before the Sun rolled off seven straight points. Jackson responded with five straight points to help hang on.
Connecticut played its fifth straight game without leading scorer Asjha Jones, who has a sore left Achilles' tendon and is expected to be out for two more weeks.
Bird had 11 points to help the Storm take a 10-point advantage in the second quarter. The Sun cut the deficit to 36-32 by halftime.
The Storm had lost three straight at home and seven in a row overall to Connecticut since a 95-86 victory on June 22, 2005, at Seattle.
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