Lauren Jackson has clinched Seattle a berth in the WNBA playoffs with the winning basket in a 81-79 victory over the Detroit Shock.

Jackson's driving lay-up with 10 seconds remaining earned the Storm its third straight trip to the post-season, while also saving team blushes after Seattle nearly blew a 25-point second half lead.

It would have been one of the biggest collapses in WNBA history, but the Storm eventually prevailed with Jackson scoring 18 points in the side's fourth straight win.

The winning basket came when Jackson took a pass from Sue Bird and drove between Ruth Riley and Cheryl Ford for the basket.

Bird then jumped into Jackson's arms at midcourt as Detroit called timeout.

Detroit's Deanna Nolan missed a game-tying shot with three seconds left.

Bird scored 20 of her 24 points in the first half while Katie Smith led Detroit with 25 and Nolan added 22.

The victory improved Seattle, which won the WNBA title in 2004, to 18-14 for the season. It sits third in the western conference with two games remaining in the regular season.

The playoffs begin next week.

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