Basketball On The Internet.

BOB'S CORNER: Our USA correspondent BOB CRAVEN is based in Seattle which is great news for Storm WNBA fans - hey, that's where the GOAT, Lauren J, dominated so who ISN'T a Storm fan? - and also for WNBL fans as a couple of our Opals Olympians reside there too, as this report ecapsulates.

THE Seattle Storm defeated the LA sparks tonight in a big game for early in the WNBA season.

Seattle led most of the way until almost being caught by the Sparks near the end.  Seattle was led by Breanna Stewart with 28 points and seven rebounds in her second game back from a two-game absence due to the Covid protocol. 

Ezi Magbegor had nine points, a game high 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks.  Steph Talbot added five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. 

Seattle’s Jewell Lloyd scored 11 points and set a new record with 155 games scoring in double figures.

The Sparks were led by the self-styled “Big Benz”, Liz Cambage, who had 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists. 

She has been very quiet so far this season in LA’s first few games - hard to imagine, given that she has a big height advantage every game. 

Nneka Ogwumike added 20 points and five boards for LA.

Earlier, Seattle defeated the defending WNBA champion Chicago Sky in a game that shouldn’t have been as close as it was.  Seattle was up from the get-go and still led by 12 with 2:28 to go.

Chicago then ripped off a 9-0 run, with Candace Parker getting the last 7 in a row to make it a close finish.  Chicago even had a chance to tie it but a last second 3-point attempt clanged off the rim.

Ezi Magbegor scored a game high 21 points, and added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. 

Breanna Steward added 13 points and five boards. 

Steph Talbot was a big help off the bench, logging 21 minutes and scoring six points, grabbing a team high seven rebounds, and adding two assists and two steals.

TOMORROW: Bob on Bob, a flashback feature