On Thursday, Sue Bird practiced with the Storm for the first time since suffering back spasms on Sunday at Tulsa, going through a light session that involved shooting and a walk-through in preparation for Saturday’s game at Los Angeles.

“I feel better,” said Bird. “Every day it’s gotten better, and that’s all I can ask for.”

Bird felt like the decision to sit out Tuesday’s win over San Antonio paid off. She was able to get an additional day of rest as the Storm took Wednesday off to continue moving in a positive direction.

“Unfortunately, with this the slightest thing can set you off,” she said. “It really helps to not be too physical and not be hit, just do my rehab and go from there. I feel much better now than I did two days ago.

“I still have two more days (until the Storm’s next game). Two days makes a world of difference.”

The Storm is being cautious in dealing with Bird’s back. Head Coach Brian Agler pointed out at Tuesday’s game that the Storm doesn’t want to deal with the injury all season long. Yet teammate Lauren Jackson is excited at the prospect of getting Bird back on the floor.

“I want her to play,” said Jackson. “If it’s going to jeopardize herself, obviously then we want her to rest as long as possible to get it right, but me personally I miss her so much. I miss playing with her. T (Tanisha Wright) has been great, but Sue Bird is a legend in my eyes, so I love her out there.”

Had a chance to catch up with Sue Bird in the locker room to find out what she felt when she left the game during the third quarter tonight with what was diagnosed as a sprained left knee.

“It’s a knee that I’ve had multiple surgeries on,” explained Bird. “I’m sure anyone who has been in that situation can tell you, when it gets pushed in a direction it doesn’t want to go, it can be painful. It doesn’t seem like any damage has occurred. I don’t have my extension or my flexion, and it basically hyperflexed. My ankle touched my behind is the layman’s way of saying it. I don’t normally go that far, so to get pushed that far is very painful. He just thought – and we were up by a lot, the team played amazing – rather than risk something worse, let it calm down.”

Bird is optimistic she can get back on the floor quickly.

“The best thing about this,” she said, “is our next game is not until Friday, so I’ll have some time to take care of it. We’ll see how it reacts tomorrow. Hopefully it’s just something small.”

Lost in the excitement of Brian Agler’s 100th career WNBA win on Friday was that Sue Bird also reached an important milestone, handing out her 1,500th career assist. Bird, who leads the league by averaging 6.5 assists per game and has averaged 5.6 over the course of her career, is just the second player in WNBA history to reach 1,500 assists. Ticha Penicheiro, the league’s all-time leader with 2,218 assists, is the only player ahead of Bird.

Of course, Bird hit the milestone in style during a 22-point, 10-assist double-double in the win over the Liberty.