Storm, Mercury squaring off with home court on the line

The Seattle Storm conclude the regular season Friday night with an opportunity to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.

The defending NBA champions (20-11) host the Phoenix Mercury (19-11), who are just a half-game behind them for the fourth seed and the final first-round bye. The Mercury conclude the regular season Sunday when they host the Las Vegas Aces.

The bye could be very valuable to Seattle because it would