Shock grabs first place • DETROIT 88, CONNECTICUT 82: Plenette Pierson scored 23 points and Katie Smith added 17 for the Shock, which took a half-game lead atop the Eastern Conference with a victory Tuesday in Auburn Hills, Mich. Lindsay Whalen finished with 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Sun.

• SEATTLE 79, SACRAMENTO 64: Lauren Jackson had 17 points and nine rebounds and Sue Bird had 16 points and nine assists for the Storm, which passed Los Angeles for second place in the West with the road victory.

• PHOENIX 99, HOUSTON 94: Diana Taurasi hit a three-pointer with 42.6 seconds left, then blocked a shot on the other end for the Mercury in a home victory over the Comets. Taurasi scored 30 points and reached 3,000 career points in fewer games (151) than any other WNBA player. Seattle's Lauren Jackson had hit 3,000 in 162 games. Tina Thompson scored 23 points for the Comets.

• WASHINGTON 50, INDIANA 48: Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 12 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the host Mystics to victory in the lowest-scoring game of the season. McWilliams-Franklin scored Washington's final two baskets; she broke a 46-46 tie on a follow shot with 2:15 left. Washington ended a three-game losing streak. Ebony Hoffman led the Fever, which had won three in a row, with 16 points.

• SAN ANTONIO 83, NEW YORK 79: Becky Hammon scored 27 points against her former team, helping the Silver Stars win their fifth in a row. San Antonio is 10-0 at home and 7-0 against Eastern Conference teams. The Liberty was led by Shameka Christon's 27 points.

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