Storm

Detroit Shock all-star Cheryl Ford did not participate in the team’s shootaround this morning at KeyArena, spending the majority of the time icing her left knee. She missed Detroit’s past two games because of the lingering injury and remains questionable tonight against Seattle. Ford, daughter of NBA legend Karl Malone, is the league’s leading rebounder (10.4) and her team’s second-leading scorer (14.0).
Ford’s absence would obviously benefit the Storm. In a six-point win against Los Angeles on Monday, the Shock’s other posts were solid but struggled late in the game with Sparks veteran Taj McWilliams-Franklin in the paint. Detroit all-star Katie Smith took care of what wasn’t working inside, however, scoring seven of her final 18 points in the closing three minutes to give the Shock the win. A shooting guard who converted to the point, she set herself up from three-point range for her momentum-changing buckets.