Caitlin Clark and Jewell Loyd Thrill in Storm's 85-83 Win Over the Fever

A packed house watched Seattle come away with the victory.

(Seattle, WA) - Caitlin Clark made her way to Seattle for the first time in her WNBA career. Over 18,000 fans packed Climate Pledge Arena who were there to support both the home team and Clark. The sensational rookie did not disappoint. Despite a slow start, Clark scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half and nearly led the Indiana Fever to their first victory of the season.

For as much as Clark delighted the crowd, it was Jewell Loyd who really put on a show. Loyd finished with a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. She finally was able to get out of her shooting slump and finished shooting 50% (12-24 FG) from the floor. Loyd led the Storm to an exciting 85-83 victory in front of the raucous home crowd.

Loyd talked about her performance after the game.

“I just kind of changed my routine a little bit and then just kind of caught a rhythm. I don't need too much. And then allowing my teammates to kind of guide me in certain ways and tell me what they see helped me a lot. It's never about one player. It's never about the other team. It's always about us, and I think sometimes we forget about us. We get so locked in on the other scouts and all these things, and we just kept saying, they've got to guard us too.” Loyd said.

As well as Loyd played, as we learned last season, she can’t do it all herself. And so it was great to see Nneka Ogwumike return after missing the last two games with an ankle injury that she suffered in the second game of the season at Minnesota. Ogwumike has been nothing short of stellar during her time in Seattle this season. She finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Ogwumike was extremely efficient connecting on 67% (10-15 FG) of her shots. It’s been three games so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves but Nneka is currently averaging 22.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG with the Storm. Those numbers are better than her incredible 2023 season or her 2016 MVP year. Nneka is hooping right now.

Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb also filled large rolls. Magbegor finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots. Whitcomb added 10 points off the bench, her second consecutive game scoring in double figures. She was also responsible for being Clark’s primary defender in the 2nd half. Jordan Horston contributed on the defensive end earning four blocked shots and coming away with three steals.

While it’s still a work in progress, the team’s offense was considerably better in this game. They finished shooting 42% (34-82 FG) overall and 30% (6-20 FG) from beyond the arc. They also had a season-high 20 assists and a season-low nine turnovers.

Jewell had referenced that the team felt like they were able to slow things down. That seems to be evident in the way they were able to protect the ball and find their open teammates. I talked to Loyd more about that and how they were able to make those adjustments.

“We have a lot of playmakers on this team. I've been getting trapped for a while. So allowing the trap to happen and then Nneka becomes the point guard. So just being there for each other, right? And knowing, not getting sped up. We've all kind of been (around the block), we play a lot of basketball. We've seen a lot of coverages through our years. So nothing's a shock. So for us to just realize what was going on, analyze it, and then make a quick decision. That's what we saw in the second half, and we had a lot of good ball movements, some quick layups out of the traps, and we were able to execute on that.” Loyd told me.

Coach Noelle Quinn also spoke to me about the team’s cleaner play.

“One thing that we talked about is Indiana's defense. They're young and they're still trying to find their connectivity. So a lot of that was honestly our aggressiveness in reading the basketball game. Early on, I knew there was a heavy nail presence and all those things. Once we figured out when we move the ball, we get second and third side sometimes. Things are cleaner. So I'll attribute it to a couple of things. Indiana's still trying to figure out their defense and us being patient and getting the ball moving to create better looks.” Quinn stated.

Seattle continues to rebound the ball well. They slightly out-rebounded the Fever 41-40 and had the edge in offensive rebounds 17-13. Both teams did well inside the paint with the Fever up 50-46 with points in the paint. The Storm also had 21 second-chance points.

Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark led the team in scoring with 21 points on 6-16 FG shooting. She also had a game-high seven assists and seven rebounds inching closer to her first triple-double of her WNBA career. Clark did most of her damage late in the game as the Fever tried to rally for the upset win. It was NaLyssa Smith who carried Indiana early in the game. Smith scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half. She finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Coach Noelle Quinn spoke about Clark after the game.

“(Clark) is a good player, shot-making ability, deep. We don't talk enough about her passing, her being six feet, she can see a lot, make a lot of reads. And obviously, teams are being aggressive on her and she’s still finding ways to score, get to the rim, and assist her teammates. She's confident, she's poised, she's different, she's a beast. We talk about her being a generational talent. She has a lot of talent and she's gonna continue to keep getting better.” Quinn said of Caitlin Clark.

I also asked Coach Quinn about Seattle’s defensive adjustments against NaLyssa Smith after holding her to just four points in the second half.

“It's interesting because when their balls screen heavy and we're aggressive, it kind of takes them out of the ability to just post up or punch it in and play the way that they like to play with Smith. I thought that her having to be in the pocket a little bit more than the post is not her comfort. She can do it. She can hit it. But we sped them up a little bit to where she got uncomfortable, and I thought our rotations were on point with her.” She answered.

Kelsey Mitchell got inserted back into the starting lineup and added 17 points. She hit some big shots down the stretch that nearly won the game for Indiana.

Unfortunately for the Fever, Aliyah Boston continues to really struggle this season. She was in foul trouble a lot in this game which limited her to just under 15 minutes for the entire game. She finished with just four points and three rebounds and had the worst plus/minus of any player for either team at a -18 (negative).

Something seems to be really off with Boston right now. She’s averaging just 8.4 PPG and 6.2 RPG this season compared to 14.5 PPG and 8.4 RPG during her ROY season. She’s shooting just 38.8% from the field this year. A stark contrast from a year ago when she shot nearly 20 percentage points better at 57.8%.

It could be a physical issue, like a nagging injury or not fully being in game shape yet. Or it could be mental with all the extreme pressure of having the Caitlin Clark spotlight covering the entire team. Boston apparently deleted many of her social media accounts from her phone after toxic fans verbally abused her after recent sub-par performances.

Hopefully, Aliyah can find peace and get back to being the much more productive player that we know she can be.

Game Breakdown

Nneka Ogwumike scored the game’s first basket off a Storm offensive rebound. Kelsey Mitchell responded on the other end with a pull-up jumper. Victoria Vivians connected on a three-pointer. NaLyssa Smith then got back-to-back baskets taking advantage of the defensive switch onto the smaller Loyd.

The scoring was intense to begin the game. Nneka was able to out-muscle Aliyah Boston at one point at the rim. Ezi Magbegor scored inside the paint. Kelsey Mitchell got to the rim. Boston also got to the rim. And Magbegor was fouled and converted two free throws.

Both defenses were struggling to get consecutive stops early on but it made for some exciting fast paced action in front of the announced crowd of 18,343. The largest crowd in Seattle Storm franchise history.

Seattle would settle down on defense which ushered in a 9-0 run. The Storm’s impressive play continued as they were able to build an 11-point lead off a three-pointer by Loyd. After a Temi Fagbenle layup, the first period ended with the Storm on top 25-16.

NaLyssa Smith scored in the paint and then Indiana was able to force a turnover that eventually led to a Caitlin Clark wide-open layup. Nneka was able to shoot over Smith on the other end. Then Clark got to the foul line and split the pair of free throws. Jewell responded with another three-pointer but Lexie Hull countered with one of her own.

Smith continued to find success with her physicality down low cutting Seattle’s lead down to six at 32-26. After another Loyd basket, Katie Lou Samuelson was able to pump-fake her way to an AND1 to cut Seattle’s lead down to four.

Nneka was able to get a steal and race down the court for the layup past two defenders. After two free throws from Kelsey Mitchell, Ogwumike was able to score again. Kristy Wallace knocked down a three-ball to cut the Storm’s lead down to four.

Indiana outscored Seattle 24-19 in the 2nd quarter. The Storm carried a 44-40 lead into the break.

Skylar Diggins-Smith was able to drive to the rim to open up the 2nd half scoring. After Kelsey Mitchell split a pair of free throws, Jewell Loyd was able to get an AND1 by muscling her way into the paint. A corner three by Nneka Ogwumike put Seattle back up double-digits at 54-43. However, Caitlin Clark was able to counter with her first three-pointer of the game. That received a loud cheer from the crowd.

Nika Mühl finally checked into the game to the loudest ovation of the night. Caitlin Clark went right after her and buried a triple. Something ignited the Fever because they went on a 17-4 run to end the third period.

Indiana turned an 11-point deficit into a two-point lead as the teams entered the final quarter. The Fever outscored Seattle 20-14 in the third period.

Coach Quinn drew up a play to get Sami Whitcomb an open three that she knocked down to begin the 4th period. Ezi Magbegor then scored four straight, first two at the line and then from an offensive rebound.

Fagbenle scored a couple of baskets. Then Kelsey Mitchell hit a three to tie the game at 67-67.

Both teams continued to battle back and forth. Loyd was able to score again curling off a screen. It looked like it was a three-pointer but upon further review, her foot was on the line. Then Mitchell came down for Indiana and did connect on a three-ball to give the Fever a one-point lead at 72-71.

Seattle would go on an 8-0 run. Sami scored five of those points including a three-ball and Loyd was fouled on a three-point attempt where she was able to convert all three of her free throws.

When it looked like Seattle might put the game away. They had a couple of bad possessions in a row that came up empty. And the Fever responded with their own run to cut it to two at 79-77.

Loyd found Jordan Horston cutting to the rim after Jewell drove baseline to put Seattle back up four. Caitlin Clark was able to dribble into the paint and put another shot in. Horston then found Magbegor under the basket for two. Jordan was then able to get a steal and could have potentially sealed the game with another basket but Indiana’s defender was able to get just enough of the ball deflected to alter the shot.

Kelsey Mitchell was able to score inside the lane to cut Seattle’s lead to just two with 14 seconds to play. Loyd was fouled on the inbounds pass but made just one of two free throws keeping the door open for Indiana.

With a three-point lead, Seattle fouled Caitlin Clark immediately to send her to the line. I felt like this was a very risky play because there were still more than 10 seconds on the game clock. I understand the strategy to foul when you’re up three but more than 10 seconds leaves too much time for other things to go wrong and they nearly did.

After Clark made both free throws, Seattle called their Reset Timeout to move the ball to half-court. But as they tried to inbound the pass to the corner, it was deflected off of Nneka Ogwumike and the ball was given back to Indiana with a chance to win the game down one. It was nearly a nightmare scenario for Seattle and had the ending to this game gone differently, there would be a much different tone to this article.

Caitlin Clark slipped on the court and she was able to get the ball to Aliyah Boston but in the scramble, Boston was tied up for the Jump Ball. Seattle managed to recover the Jump Ball and Ogwumike was fouled immediately. She missed her first free throw attempt, the second missed free throw by Seattle in the final 20 seconds of the game. Nneka made the second and Indiana didn’t have any timeouts left so they just inbounded the ball to Boston who tried chucking up a shot from 75-80 feet out. The shot had no chance and Seattle survived a hard-fought game against the Fever.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

The Caitlin Clark Effect

This shouldn’t come as any surprise but the Caitlin Clark Effect is absolutely real. The Seattle Storm have always had a very good supportive fanbase. Per Across the Timeline’s Attendance Data, Seattle ranked third in average attendance a year ago at roughly 8,929 fans per game. And that was when the team had one of their worst on-court seasons over the past 20 years.

The team announced they had set a franchise record with 18,343 fans attending this Seattle Storm versus Indiana Fever game. With the two teams entering this game having a combined one win (and seven losses), it certainly wasn’t a battle of the league’s best teams that drew the largest capacity crowd in the team’s history. It was Clark.

Jewell Loyd talked about the crowd after the game.

“Yeah, I've been very fortunate to be in Seattle where they show up when we need them. And so it was nice to have that atmosphere here. We definitely needed it and used it to our advantage for sure. But our Storm fans always come out and support us. And so we definitely appreciate it. And we're going to have a lot of games like that.” Loyd said.

Caitlin Clark is bringing more eyeballs to women’s basketball than ever before. She sells out every building she goes to. The hope is that this will only continue to grow moving forward.

Hopefully, Clark is the gateway for many of these newer “casual” fans. Maybe they are primarily college basketball fans but not WNBA fans. Maybe they are NBA fans who haven’t normally transitioned over to the WNBA. Clark brings a hype behind her and that’s all you need to get started. We often have this hive mindset where when things become trendy their popularity skyrockets. Now everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon.

Multiple other WNBA teams that play in smaller arenas are moving their games into larger NBA arenas specifically for the Caitlin Clark/Indiana Fever games. I can’t recall another player having this type of impact.

Clark’s success is important for the league’s success. With new media rights deals coming up; the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) is likely headed for another renegotiation after the 2025 season. If viewership continues to skyrocket. If the arenas continue to sell out. The WNBA and its players are set up to make significantly more money in the years ahead.

Fans can come for Caitlin Clark, but hopefully, they stick around and stay for Jewell Loyd and Nneka Ogwumike. When they see other players also playing at an extremely talented level they are more likely to want to continue to tune in. Loyd put on a show during Wednesday’s game and ideally, it’ll lead to more Storm fans throughout the season.

A Gabby Williams sighting

I was not expecting to see Gabby Williams at the Seattle Storm game on Wednesday night, but it was a pleasant surprise.

The former Seattle Storm forward was a special guest and was introduced on the Jumbotron during the third period. The crowd gave her a loud ovation. She looked really happy to be there and maybe even a little embarrassed by the amount of love being sent her way.

While I wasn’t expecting to see Gabby I wasn’t completely shocked either. I’ve long believed that Williams and the Seattle Storm have stayed in contact with one another. I think the organization has treated her very well during her time spent in Seattle.

And while prioritization and the Olympics all but guarantee she couldn’t join the team this season to my knowledge. I fully expect them to pursue Williams in Free Agency in 2025. Seattle will have both a lot of money to spend in 2025 and several roster spots to fill.

Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith are the only two guaranteed contracts on the roster next season. The other four guaranteed contracts from this year will all be Unrestricted Free Agents next year. That includes Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Mercedes Russell, and Sami Whitcomb.

Depending on how this season plays out, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team tried to bring back the most productive pieces and add Gabby Williams to the fray in 2025.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm host the Washington Mystics on Saturday, May 25th at 6:00 PM at Climate Pledge Arena.

Notes:
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