Indiana Rains Threes in 92-75 Win Over Storm

Fever blitzed Seattle with 8 three-pointers in the pivotal 4th quarter.

(Indianapolis, Indiana) - Unfortunately, Seattle dropped their second consecutive game. This time it was a 92-75 defeat to the surging Indiana Fever. The overall game was significantly closer than the final score. Seattle led by four points at the end of the first quarter. They trailed by one point at halftime and again by one point at the end of the third period. The Fever outscored the Storm 33-17 over the final 10 minutes. For a second consecutive game, Seattle gave up more than 50 points in the 2nd half and lost the game.

Seattle had just three players score in double figures. Jewell Loyd led the way with 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Skylar Diggins-Smith followed up her best game of the season with another solid performance. She finished with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Nneka Ogwumike finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. But for the second game in a row, Nneka didn’t score at all in the 4th quarter.

Ezi Magbegor made an impact despite not scoring enough. She made her biggest mark on the defensive end with five strong blocks. She also had seven rebounds. Magbegor finished with nine points on 4-5 FG shooting but wasn’t aggressive enough in looking for her own shot.

The Storm’s defense appeared to lose track of open shooters throughout the game. Something that clearly attributed to the Fever’s highly efficient three-point shooting.

Both Coach Noelle Quinn and Nneka Ogwumike talked about it after the game.

“Lexie Hull, corner threes. Corner threes get you paid. I think on the ball, our presence was a little bit lacking physicality. Our rotations were over helping a little bit, but we gave up a lot of threes in that span…” Quinn said.

“It's the communication level. I thought that we were... just defensive principles, helping when we shouldn't be helping, not getting to shooters, over-helping at times, and kind of losing our matchups a little bit. So I will point to the point of attack again. We have to be a little bit more aggressive on the ball, especially when teams spread us out in that nature and kind of get to shooters, get our closeouts. But I thought that there's some over-rotations and some kind of miscues defensively.” Quinn continued.

“I mean, we stuck to our scheme the whole game, and so... You know, I think that they were able to hit the shots that were open. We were trying to do our best to be aggressive on the ball. Maybe not aggressive, but contain the ball, perhaps, and do what we can stunt and get out and get back. They were hitting shots, you know, 50% from the three. That's good.” Ogwumike said.

Indiana Fever

Indiana had a trifecta of impact players, Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Lexie Hull. All three players scored more than 20 points in the Fever’s victory. Hull scored a career-high 22 points off of the bench. She played the best game of her professional career. Hull scored 22 points in 21 minutes on 8-10 FG shooting. That included a ridiculous hot 6-7 FG from beyond the three-point line. Hull made an impact on both ends of the court playing solid defense including forcing a charge and Seattle turnover.

Kelsey Mitchell was electric. She scored a game-high 27 points on better than 50% FG shooting (11-19 FG). That also included 5-8 FG from beyond the arc. Mitchell was knocking down outside shots and aggressively cutting to the rim.

Then there was Caitlin Clark. Who was setting up her teammates throughout the game dishing out a game-high nine assists. Clark’s shot wasn’t falling early on missing many of her three-point attempts. But she did a great job getting to the rim and scoring inside. And leading her teammates in fast break opportunities. Clark finished with 23 points, nine assists, and five rebounds.

“She’s grown in a lot of ways. Finding ways to be effective. Not chasing the ball a lot. Playing in the pocket. Slowing down and making good reads.” Coach Quinn stated.

I asked Nneka about Caitlin Clark’s growth from the beginning of the season. And also if she recalled a moment from her own rookie season when things started to click for her as a rookie in the WNBA.

“Similar to a lot of the rookies this year, for me, my rookie season was also in an Olympic year. And so I can imagine, as you see a lot of players coming out of this break, working on things. It's clear that you see that across the league. Definitely saw that tonight, obviously from Caitlin. That break really does make a difference. I think as a rookie, it's something that allows you to reset, look at tape, and work on some things. So that was what made the difference for me in my rookie year.” Ogwumike told me.

While those three players were the leaders and the only Fever players to score in double figures, Aliyah Boston did have a sneaky good game. She finished with nine points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. She was a huge reason why the Fever out-rebounded the Storm 43-32. Indiana had a 9-5 advantage in offensive rebounds and a 10-4 edge in second-chance points.

Indiana outshot Seattle 47% (34-73%) to 39% (28-72 FG). But it was really their three-point shooting that made the separation in this game. The Fever made 48% (15-31 FG) beyond the arc. Seattle actually had one of their better games making 33% (7-21 FG) but the difference was an extra 24 points for Indiana.

Thanks to Lexie Hull, the Fever’s bench outscored Seattle’s reserves 30-7. Seattle’s Sami Whitcomb was the only bench player for the Storm to have an impact scoring six points.

Game Breakdown

It was a slow start for both teams as Seattle started 1-5 FG and the Indiana Fever started 0-3 FG. Ezi Magbegor had a strong coast-to-coast drive where she got the rebound, took it to the paint, and finished with a turnaround short jumper. Jewell Loyd knocked in a midrange jumper as the Storm started up 4-0.

Caitlin Clark got the Fever on the board with a strong drive past Loyd. Kelsey Mitchell was fouled on a drive and made both of her free throws. Skylar Diggins-Smith got dribble penetration into the paint and handed it off to Jordan Horston who made the short jumper near the rim. Nneka knocked in a three-pointer to put Seattle up 9-4 early.

Aliyah Boston split a pair of free throws. Then found Mitchell cutting to the rim for two. Then Boston drove strong to the rim for two to tie the game at 9-9. Seattle went cold toward the end of the first quarter. Making just one of nine field goal attempts. That allowed Indiana to briefly take a lead at 13-11. Sami Whitcomb and Jewell Loyd made back-to-back three-pointers to end the quarter to put the Storm up 17-13.

Sami hit another triple early in the second period. NaLyssa Smith was able to get to the free throw line and Damiris Dantas grabbed an offensive rebound and easy putback. SDS found Ezi for a reverse layup. Kelsey Mitchell countered with a three-ball, Indiana’s first of the game. That cut Seattle’s lead to four at 23-19.

Magbegor had an impressive block on Dantas that led to a transition basket for Ogwumike. Nneka and Caitlin Clark exchanged a pair of free throws. Loyd scored on a backdoor cut. Lexie Hull drilled a three-pointer and after a Seattle miss, Clark went the full length of the court and straight to the rim for two. That cut Seattle’s lead down to one.

The Fever took a three-point lead with a deep two from Clark. Another three-ball by Lexie Hull and a reverse layup by Mitchell allowed Indiana to go on a 12-5 run to end the first half. They carried a 35-34 lead into the break. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 11 points and Hull added 10 points off the bench in the first half. Nneka Ogwumike led Seattle with 12 points through the first 20 minutes.

Kelsey Mitchell knocked in a three-pointer. Then Clark found Mitchell running in transition. That layup gave Caitlin Clark the new All-Time WNBA Record for assists for a Rookie in a single season. Clark hit a three-pointer to put the Fever up eight points.

Seattle fought back. Jewell was fouled and made both free throws. Nneka got a touch inside and patiently waited to get past the defenders to finish at the rim. Skylar drew a foul and made both free throws which cut Indiana’s lead to two at 45-43. The Fever called timeout.

Out of the timeout, Clark found Mitchell in the corner for three. Ezi Magbegor scored on the other end. Seattle tied the game after Diggins-Smith buried a triple. Both teams exchanged baskets over the next few minutes. Seattle made a sloppy pass around midcourt that allowed Clark to steal the ball and hit a wide-open three-pointer. SDS had a good reverse layup. Clark had a strong block against Whitcomb but then was rejected fiercely by Magbegor on the other end.

Both teams played even in the third period as each scored 24 points. Indiana carried a 59-58 lead into the final frame.

Clark and Loyd exchanged baskets to begin the 4th quarter. Lexie Hull continued to hurt the Storm knocking in her third and fourth three-pointers in back-to-back possessions. That pushed Indiana’s lead to six at 68-62. Hull then took a charge against Nneka to force Seattle into another turnover.

Indiana’s three-point shooting was unreal in the final period. Mitchell connected on another triple. That gave the Fever a double-digit lead at 75-65.

Seattle briefly made a run with Skylar Diggins-Smith with a layup, a steal, and another layup. But that would be it. Indiana turned a one-point lead into a 19-point lead. They knocked down eight of their first nine three-pointers. And 8-10 FG from beyond the arc overall in the final.

The game quickly got out of hand. Indiana turned a one-possession game into a blowout. The Fever picked up their first win against Seattle this season 92-75.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

Frustrations Mounting

At the end of the game, it was surprising to see Coach Noelle Quinn having some strong words for Indiana Fever Head Coach Christie Sides. It’s rare to see Quinn that animated on the sidelines. It stood out a bit from what we normally see. You can view what happened at the links below.

https://twitter.com/TylerDeLuca/status/1825284887311745351

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https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1825284413787140097/pu/vid/avc1/960x540/dWqkZMJX7UxOKMkH.mp4?tag=12

When asked about it after the game, Coach Quinn had this to say.

“I respect Christie. I've been in this league for a long time, played for her in Russia. We're just having a spirited conversation about gamesmanship. That's it.” Quinn told the media after the game.

There may have been an issue where Seattle subbed out all of their starters and Indiana initially kept theirs in the game with the Fever leading by nearly 20 points with just a minute to go in the game.

We also saw Skylar get into it a little bit with Caitlin Clark and Coach Sides.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Clark has antagonized or tried to show up one of her opponents. The way Sunday’s game ended, it’s not surprising that Storm players were not in a good mood. Games like this will happen during the season.

“After a month being away from each other, having three Olympians. I was away as well. We have to get back into some rhythm and flow. This is our second game back after the break. And prior to the break, we have found some momentum. So it's about getting back to that form. The majority of their team stayed over the break and it shows in the way that they're playing. There's a lot of comfort (for them). It's kind of getting back into the swing of things with not a lot of practice time. It's about trying to find it in the game, but it's confidence, comfort. We got to get to it.” Quinn added.

With seeding, it’s probably not likely that Seattle would see Indiana in the playoffs this year. But I’m sure the Storm wouldn’t mind getting another crack at the Fever if that option presented itself.

Déjà vu

Back in 2021, after coming back from the Tokyo Olympics, the Seattle Storm lost their first two regular season games after the lengthy Olympic break. They lost a tight OT game 87 to 85 against the Chicago Sky. Then they lost 83 to 79 against the New York Liberty. They would win their next two before losing three straight against Minnesota and Chicago. They started the 2nd half of their 2021 season 2-5 through their first seven games. They dropped in the standings because of that.

Seattle has returned from the 2024 Olympic break by losing their first two games again. The first, a razor-thin loss to the Atlanta Dream. And then Sunday’s lopsided defeat to the Indiana Fever. The Storm will need to regroup and figure out what’s going wrong and correct those things to avoid a similar fall in the standings that happened in 2021.

Can Indiana Make a Run?

At the end of May, the Indiana Fever went from the highs of drafting Caitlin Clark to fans calling for the firing of Coach Christie Sides. After the Fever lost a home game to the Seattle Storm by a final score of 103 to 88 their record dropped to 1-8. They were at the bottom of the WNBA standings. And there were a lot of questions about what was going to happen to this team. They haven’t made the playoffs since Tamika Catchings's final WNBA season in 2016.

They started to turn around their season in June. Indiana went from winning just one game in May to winning seven out of 11 games in June. In July, they went 3-3 and have now won their first two games in August. The Fever have moved up to the 7th seed in the WNBA standings. They are on pace to reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. If they finish 7-5 over their final 12 games they will end their season with a .500 record of 20-20.

More importantly, Indiana is young and gaining confidence as the season progresses. They have beat New York, Minnesota, Seattle, and Phoenix this season. All playoff teams that currently sit ahead of them in the standings.

It’s always fun to see young teams develop and build chemistry. We saw it here in Seattle in 2016 and 2017. During those years, Seattle managed to make the playoffs and gain some experience but they weren’t quite ready to compete for a title. But those seasons allowed them to build chemistry and for young players in Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart to grow into the stars they would become. That led to Seattle’s Championship seasons in 2018 and again in 2020.

Similarly, we’ve watched the Las Vegas Aces grow from a lottery team, to a team growing with three consecutive #1 overall picks, which led to the team making the playoffs. They reached the semi-finals before losing to the eventual champions, the Washington Mystics in 2019. The next season they made the WNBA Finals before being swept away by the more experienced Storm team. But the experience they built allowed them to defeat the Storm in the 2022 WNBA semi-finals. They went on to win the WNBA Championship in back-to-back seasons (2022 and 2023).

So what will happen with the Indiana Fever? The Fever became the third franchise to land #1 overall picks in two consecutive seasons. The other two teams (Seattle and Las Vegas) each won multiple championships after doing so. Seattle actually did this twice in 2001 and 2002 (winning in 2004 and 2010) as well as the more recent titles. Can Indiana repeat history?

Depending on how fast they develop over these final two months. Could the Indiana Fever even make a run this season? Could they upset a New York, Connecticut, or Minnesota team in the first round? Probably not this season. But that is the beauty of sports and building a young team that hits its peak at the same time. We never know when a new team is going to ascend to that next level.

Could we see the Fever become legit title contenders in 2026 or 2027? Yes, I think we could see that.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (17-10) play in Washington D.C. next as the Mystics (6-21) will host the Storm on Tuesday, August 20th at 4:00 PM.

Notes:
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