Disappointing 4th Dooms Storm 90-85

The Seattle Storm snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

(Seattle, WA) - This one hurts. The Seattle Storm were officially eliminated from the playoffs after their 90-85 loss to the Chicago Sky. An extremely disappointing 4th quarter performance doomed them in this game. Seattle led throughout the game and at one point led by as many as 14 points in the 2nd half. But they couldn’t hang on. The home team scored just one point in the final 5:16 of the final period. The Sky erased a nine-point 4th quarter deficit as they outscored the Storm 22-10.

“They had the ability to get into the paint and finish. They went small and we stayed with our lineup and we just couldn’t find a way to get points or to the free throw line… Again, our offense was just stalling out. Too many turnovers in the second half. Too many possessions where we aren’t locked in defensively. Just not finding ways to get over the hump.” Coach Noelle Quinn said after the game.

It keeps Chicago in the playoff hunt. Something Storm fans and the team’s front office alike should both be upset about. Seattle could have dealt a major blow to the Sky’s chances of playing in the postseason. This is important to Seattle because Chicago is one of the few teams that had a better record than the Storm last season where the two-year lottery rule comes into play.

The Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm have both been officially eliminated and therefore are guaranteed lottery draft selections. Currently, the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky are on the outside but the Sky still have a legit chance to supplant Los Angeles before the end of the season.

Jewell Loyd and Sami Whitcomb each scored 19 points in this game to lead the Storm. Loyd finished with a team-high six assists and grabbed six rebounds as well. Unfortunately, she scored just two points in the entire second half including zero points in the 4th quarter when the team needed her the most.

Coach Quinn gave her perspective on Loyd’s struggles.

“They hard-hedged her the entire game. Without Smith, they went small. Some of those screens became switches. Nothing that they didn’t do in the previous quarters.” Coach stated.

“I thought Jewell was finding players. She was assisting. Obviously, it’s very clear she didn’t score. But I felt she was attempting to give her all but she just wasn’t connecting on some shots.” Quinn added.

Sami Whitcomb chimed in on Jewell’s struggles in the second half.

“A lot of that is on us. I think putting her in better positions. We can’t always just run in transition. I think we need to be a little more intentional with how we’re helping her get open and not just leaving her on an island to go one-on-one. Obviously, she’s tremendous at that but in the 4th quarter, I think when you’ve gone a whole game of doing that it can be exhausting. I think we can do a better job of getting her better looks and better spots, loosening the defense up first. We played into their hands a bit because she was getting double-teamed and had to kick the ball out or just take tough contested shots.” She said.

Ezi Magbegor struggled in the first half but came on strong late. She finished with her 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Mercedes Russell added 13 points off the bench including 11 points in the first quarter. That helped Seattle get out to a hot start scoring 29 points through the first 10 minutes of the game.

“Early on, we saw that we were able to get into the paint and finish well. I think we continued to get into the paint through the rest of the three quarters but we started missing little chippy shots. Or not making a shot that we would normally during the course of the game. Towards the end, we had a lot of empty possessions where we might have got a great shot but we just missed. At the end of the day, sometimes that’s just basketball.” Russell said after the game.

The Storm scored 55 points in the first half and were on pace to score 110 points for the game. But the offense wasn’t able to carry that over into the second half of the game as the team was limited to just 30 points total. I spoke with Coach Quinn about what was working so well early that didn’t continue through the final 20 minutes.

“In the first half, I thought Cedes gave us a boost. I thought we had a lot of possessions. Sami hit a couple of threes. I thought our energy level was high. Ezi wasn’t scoring in the first half but she found her way in the second half. Cedes and Jewell weren’t able to find and finish those same looks in the second half. We had a stall out on offense. We stopped moving the ball. We stopped getting to the next actions. There were a lot of missed layups and bunnies in the paint.” Quinn told me.

Chicago Sky

Elizabeth Williams had another great game for Chicago. She led all scorers with 23 points and was a constant thorn in Seattle’s side down low. Williams made several impressive baskets inside the paint including a couple through contact.

“I thought she was good around the paint. We were trapping and being aggressive on their guards, and because of that we sacrificed the ball getting into Williams and I thought she did a good job of finishing around the rim.” Quinn replied to my question on E-Will’s performance.

“She came out really aggressive for them on both ends of the floor. Out of those pick and rolls, she was really attacking us. Obviously, she’s a pretty good defender on the other side of the court. She gets a lot of deflections, alters a lot of shots, she’s a good shot blocker. I think she had a really solid game tonight.” Mercedes added.

Kahleah Copper scored 18 points and had a season-high 12 rebounds. Copper finished the game scoring 12 of her 18 points in the second half as she rallied her team to victory.

Marina Mabrey did most of her damage in the first half, which included nine points in the second quarter. Mabrey finished the game with 16 points including connecting on 5-6 FG from beyond the arc.

Dana Evans had another strong game off the bench scoring 14 points. She also tied Courtney Williams with a team-high six assists. Speaking of Courtney, she also had a solid game with 10 points, six assists, and five rebounds.

Seattle and Chicago shot roughly the same from the floor, right around 43%. However, the Sky were significantly better from the three-point range knocking down 46% (10-22 FG) from beyond the arc compared to 30% (8-26 FG) for the Storm.

The Sky had a 24-17 advantage in assists and a slight edge in steals (10-9). They forced Seattle into more turnovers (14-10) and scored 17 points off of those turnovers. They were a plus-six in that category. They also outpaced Seattle with an impressive 19-2 advantage in fast break points.

Game Breakdown

Elizabeth Williams grabbed a deflected shot and finished the putback layup to score the game’s first points. She then had a nice drive to the rim for two more. Jewell Loyd responded with a three-pointer and then a quick steal where she was able to draw a foul in transition. Williams then scored again inside the paint.

The Storm worked the ball around and found Sami Whitcomb open for a three-pointer that she easily knocked down. Whitcomb then stole the inbounds pass, dribbled back out to the arc on the other side, and knocked down another three-ball. With Seattle leading 11-6, the Chicago Sky quickly called timeout to sort things out.

The Sky responded with an Elizabeth Williams AND1 layup and free throw and a transition triple from Marina Mabrey to cut the Storm’s lead down to just one. After Seattle’s timeout, Mercedes Russell checked into the game and immediately grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. On the very next possession, Russell got the mismatch down low against Courtney Williams and was able to draw a shooting foul where she split the pair of free throws.

Russell continued to make an impact off the bench scoring another basket down low and three midrange jumpers. Russell scored 11 points in the first period.

Elizabeth Williams made another tough hook inside the paint and Dana Evans was able to draw the foul for two free throws. Whitcomb was able to score on dribble penetration for a short jumper. Dana Evans drove down the lane and kicked it out to Robyn Parks for an open three-ball that went in. At the end of the first period, the Storm led the Sky 29-23.

Dana Evans caused Yvonne Turner into a turnover to begin the second quarter. Evans then knocked down a three-pointer on the other end to cut Seattle’s lead down to three. Joyner Holmes then drove into the paint and found a cutting Turner who was fouled. Yvonne made both free throws.

Courtney Williams connected on a corner three. Loyd scored five straight to put the Storm up 40-33. Marina Mabrey countered with a three-ball. The Sky used an 11-0 run including two more three-pointers from Mabrey to take the lead at 44-40. After each made three-point basket Mabrey made sure to let Jewell Loyd know about it.

After Courtney Williams knocked down a short jumper the Storm used a 13-0 run to end the final three minutes of the first half. Jordan Horston scored on a couple of midrange jumpers. Jewell Loyd scored seven points during the run including a three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half right before the buzzer expired. Seattle led 55-46 at the end of the first half.

Ezi scored on the opening possession of the second half. Elizabeth Williams responded by splitting the defense down low. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored and then Ezi hit a midrange jumper to put Seattle up 13 at 61-48.

Loyd found Whitcomb open for a three-pointer. Elizabeth Williams scored two more times in the paint and Morgan Bertsch hit a jumper to cut Seattle’s lead down to ten. Courtney Williams hit a deep jumper and Dana Evans knocked down a corner three. Copper scored four more including two from the foul line to cut the Storm’s 14-point lead down to just two points.

Seattle ended the quarter on a 9-4 run and led 75-68 at the end of the third quarter. Sami Whitcomb scored five points while Loyd and Joyner Holmes each scored two during the final two minutes.

Seattle really struggled with Jewell Loyd and Sami Whitcomb on the bench to begin the 4th quarter. Chicago was able to go on a 7-2 run over the first couple of minutes that made it 77-75.

Whitcomb checked back in and immediately knocked down another three-pointer. Evans was able to sink two free throws and Elizabeth Williams scored two more baskets inside the paint.

A few plays later Seattle got the defensive stop but Kahleah Copper made a fantastic hustle play. She was able to force the turnover and get the steal. She then got the ball back in the corner and drilled a three-pointer to put the Sky up one at 86-85 with 2:15 left in the game.

The Storm had several good looks but weren’t able to take the lead back. They were limited to just one single free throw over the final five minutes of the game. Over those final 11 possessions, the team missed eight shots and had three turnovers.

Chicago knocked down some free throws to end the game with a 90-85 victory.

“They were playing small ball so we were trying to hone in on where the mismatches were instead of continuing to play the way that we were playing. We stopped playing smart and executing the same ways. We did get some good looks and they just didn’t drop like they did before. We weren’t playing as intelligently. We weren’t setting each other up as well as we could have.” Sami Whitcomb said after the game.

Additional Analysis

Sami Continues to Shine

While Jewell Loyd continues to get all the headlines as she made history this season setting the franchise record for most points in a single season (currently at 799). And Ezi Magbegor has developed into one of the most promising young power forwards in the league with her first All-Star appearance this season. It’s Sami Whitcomb that has been one of the brightest spots of a very disappointing Seattle Storm season.

She has always brought energy, hustle, and sharp-shooting to the Storm. But her presence alone seems to bring electricity to the crowd. Her play in the first quarter to knock down a three-pointer, get a steal, and make a second three-point shot within about five seconds really epitomizes who Whitcomb is and the connection she has with the Storm faithful.

Sami has done an admirable job stepping up into the lead point guard role during the second half of this season. It hasn’t been without its setbacks at times. Sami will try to make a play or a pass that doesn’t reach a teammate at the perfect time and that ends up as a turnover. Those moments are definitely still a work in progress for the seven-year veteran. And it’s just a reminder of how talented Sue Bird was throughout all of those years when she orchestrated the offense like a maestro.

Whitcomb is still figuring some of that out. But it certainly isn’t from a lack of heart or effort. Sami has been a positive leader and mentor for these younger players this season. She has also become Seattle’s much-needed third scorer behind the team’s two All-Stars, Loyd and Magbegor.

She is averaging 9.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2.7 APG. The points and rebounds averages are the second-highest of her WNBA career just behind her 2021 season in New York where she was a full-time starter throughout the entire season.

More notably, since Whitcomb moved into the starting lineup she is averaging 11.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 3.9 APG. With Sami signed through the 2024 WNBA season it’ll be interesting if she comes into next year as the defacto point guard. Or if the team still looks to upgrade that position through either free agency or the draft.

After the game, I spoke with Sami to get her thoughts on the season she’s been having.

“It’s not over yet so obviously I’m not really there yet. I’m just trying every game to give everything that I have and help us do everything we can to be in a position to win and finish this season really strong whatever that looks like. I’ll probably be in a better position to review this season after. But it’s great to be playing more. I’m really happy to be in this position to be playing with the team and competing on a nightly basis. Hopefully, we can just give everything we have to finish strong!” Whitcomb told me.

No Playoffs in Seattle

For the first time since 2015, the Seattle Storm will miss the playoffs. The team had made the post-season for seven straight years which included 16 playoff victories and two WNBA Championship trophies.

The last time Jewell Loyd didn’t make the playoffs it was her rookie year and she was without Breanna Stewart. The team is once again without Stewart and out of playoff contention.

Stewart’s decision to leave the team was a monumental one that had a major effect on how the team would fare during the 2023 season. Seattle must now look to the draft lottery in hopes of building another contender who can go on another long playoff streak.

The Storm have done well in the past landing back-to-back #1 overall picks in 2001, 2002, and then again in 2015 and 2016. While the lottery odds won’t be in their favor to get #1 again it’s not uncommon for a lottery team to move up to #1 or #2. Even if Seattle ends up with the third or fourth selection, this draft class has enough talent that they should still get a high-quality player with a good amount of upside.

Up Next

The Storm (10-25) travel to Los Angeles (15-19) for a game on Thursday, August 31st at 7:00 PM. The two teams haven’t played each other since early June when they split the series 1-1 with each team winning on their home floor. The LA Sparks are still battling for the 8th and final playoff spot. Ironically, the Storm organization would be much better off if they lose this game. Los Angeles currently has just a 1.5 game lead on Chicago and the two teams play each other on Tuesday.

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