SEATTLE — Camille Little scored a career-high 21 points and Katie Gearlds added a career-high 20 to help the Seattle Storm to a 77-72 win over Atlanta on Friday night, giving the Dream the league record for most losses in a season.
Atlanta finished the season 4-30. The Chicago Sky were 5-29 in 2006.
Seattle (22-11), which rested point guard Sue Bird, improved to a league-best 16-1 at home. The Storm finish the regular season at Los Angeles on Sunday.
Tamera Young had 20 points for Atlanta.
Tanisha Wright and Little were the only regular starters in the lineup for Seattle. The Storm acquired Little from Atlanta in June.
Seattle coach Brian Agler rested starters Bird and Yolanda Griffith since the Storm already had clinched the Western Conference’s No. 2 playoff berth. Bird and Griffith suited up, but did not play.
“The best thing that we can do is to get as healthy and as much rest as we can going into the playoffs,” Agler said.
Storm starters Swin Cash (sore back) and Sheryl Swoopes (mild concussion) also did not play.
Atlanta took its first lead at 52-51 on a basket by Erika DeSouza. But Little answered with a basket to give the Storm a 53-52 lead after three quarters.
Seattle led by 11 points in the first half before the Dream cut the lead to 28-27 late in the second quarter.
The Storm’s Lauren Jackson continues to recover from ankle surgery. Agler said he had no timeline on when Jackson might be able to return. She is not expected to be ready before the championship series.
The Storm open the playoffs next Thursday or Friday on the road against the Western Conference No. 4 seed, either Los Angeles or Sacramento, in a best-of-three series.
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