Loyd Scores 33 but Dallas Wins 106-91

The Dallas Wings clinched the 4th seed with their victory over the Storm.

(Arlington, Texas) - The Dallas Wings had too much depth as they outpaced the Storm in a high-scoring affair 106-91. With the victory, the Wings clinched the 4th overall seed in the playoffs and homecourt advantage during the first round. For the Storm, it was the team’s 28th loss of the year.

Jewell Loyd led Seattle with 33 points. She played all 40 minutes and went 10-30 FG from the floor. Loyd made 5-12 shots from beyond the arc and 8-10 FT. Ezi Magbegor finished just short of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Mercedes Russell got the start over Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and provided 12 points without a single missed shot on six field goal attempts.

Sami Whitcomb didn’t score as much in this game finishing with just five points. However, she tied her season high with eight assists as she focused more on getting her teammates involved. Lastly, Kia Nurse had arguably her best game of the season scoring 19 points off the bench in just 21 minutes. More on her later.

Loyd and Coach Quinn spoke about the challenges of slowing down the Wing’s offense.

“A lot of it was just miscommunication. In the first half, we didn’t execute on our schemes and allowed them to get loose. We focused in a little bit but with a team like Dallas, when they get into a rhythm it’s hard to slow them down. A lot of that is on us. But we came back and fought to the end.” Jewell spoke.

“Their size and athleticism, before the game starts we are 20 points down in the paint just because off of sheer size they have on paper. Natasha hit some threes today that pushed our bigs out a little bit more. The rebounding hurt us and obviously, the points in the paint were huge. Their length, size, athleticism at every single spot - it’s basically pick your poison. I know Arike gets a lot of acknowledgment, Satou’s having an amazing season, and Tash is an All-Star but McCowan has really held it down in the paint for them and given them an extra boost that they need to sustain that physicality inside.” Quinn answered.

Dallas Wings

Dallas’s offense was rolling all game long. They had five players score in double figures including four starters. Those four starters all scored at least 16 points. Natasha Howard led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds. She was extremely efficient connecting on 8-12 FG including 3-5 from the three-point range.

Howard is a player that I feel the Storm organization has seriously missed since the 2020 season. At least for all the things she can do on both ends of a basketball court. Howard is having what I would consider the second-best season of her career next to her impressive 2019 season in Seattle. Natasha is averaging 16.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG during her first year in Dallas.

After the game, I spoke with Jewell Loyd and Coach Quinn about what Natasha can bring to the Wings, especially in the playoffs.

“She’s been on great teams and knows how to win. She’s so versatile you know. When she’s hitting her outside shots it makes it really, really hard to guard her because she’s so versatile when she gets down low with her left and right hands and her up and under. She’s constantly been steady for them. She was steady for us. She likes to compete. She’s been in the league for so long. She knows how to win and she’s won. She gives a steadiness to the team.” Loyd said.

“(She brings) Championship experience. She knows what it feels like and knows what it takes. She understands the grind of the post-season. I think she’s grown a lot since 2018. She was a vital piece to our success. A lot of what she did was cutting, screening, moving. But now, they are looking to her to score often. She’s developed a three-point shot. Obviously, she’s good around the rim. Her post footwork and all of those things. She gives them the experience that they need for those young individuals who haven’t really been in this situation a huge lift.” Coach Quinn told me.

Satou Sabally, the Unicorn, continued to impress during her breakout season. The frontrunner for the WNBA’s Most Improved Player Award finished the game with 21 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. She also added two steals.

The Wings’ impressive frontcourt also saw Teaira McCowan score 16 points on 8-12 FG shooting. Like Howard, she also pulled down nine rebounds. Kalani Brown was yet another post who gave Seattle trouble. She finished with 12 points on 5-6 FG shooting and five rebounds off of the bench.

Lastly, Arike Ogunbowale did Arike things. Except she was also more efficient than normal. She finished with an impressive double-double of 19 points and 10 assists.

Dallas shot a season-high 59% (41-69 FG) and 40% from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Storm 36-24 and absolutely dominated inside the paint outscoring Seattle 60-32. I suppose it’s easy to make 60% of your shots when most of them were layups.

They also outpaced the Storm in fast break points 22-16. And did a better job distributing the basketball with a 30-22 advantage in assists.

Game Breakdown

Dallas got off to a hot start first by immediately tipping the ball into their frontcourt to Natasha Howard for an easy layup. Jewell Loyd countered with a three-pointer.

The action was fast and furious to start this game and it was hard for me to keep up with all the scoring. Arike scored five quick points including one from beyond the arc. Teaira McCowan made multiple layups after getting deep post position. Veronica Burton even hit a three-ball. Dallas knocked down seven of their first ten shots to jump out to a 17-10 lead.

Seattle couldn’t stop Dallas on offense but they briefly countered with more offense of their own. Loyd hit a pair of free throws. Mercedes finished at the rim two times as she helped the Storm cut the Wings’ lead down to four at 22-18. That was the closest Seattle would get for the rest of the entire game.

The Wings finished the quarter on a 10-2 run. Satou Sabally scored six of those points. At the end of the first period, the Wings led 32-20.

Kia Nurse checked in and connected on a three-pointer. Natasha Howard and Arike Ogunbowale made back-to-back layups.

The Storm trailed by 15 at 40-25 and then went on a quick 6-0 run with two three-pointers from Loyd and Whitcomb. Unfortunately, Seattle’s offense could not keep up with the Wings. Natasha Howard scored seven points during a short stretch including a triple. Kalani Brown added four points during an 11-2 run by Dallas that put them up 18 (51-33).

Jewell Loyd knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to end the first half. At the midway point, the Wings led 56-45.

Seattle continued their strong run to begin the third quarter with some free throws for Loyd and a jumper from Russell to cut their deficit down to seven. That was the closest they would get in the 2nd half as the Dallas Wings continued to pour in the points.

Satou scored five straight and the Ogunbowale hit another three-ball. Ezi and Satou each made a pair of free throws. Jordan Horston had a nice athletic drive to the rim that resulted in an AND1. Here is hoping we see a lot more of that in year two.

Natasha hit another three-pointer. She was very effective from long distance in this game. Kalani Brown scored a couple of times for Dallas as Loyd continued to find scoring chances for the Storm.

A layup by Magbegor and a pair of free throws from Loyd helped the Storm cut the deficit down to 12 at the end of the third. The Wings led 82-70.

After playing literally the entire game and taking 30 field goal attempts, Loyd seemed to run out of steam a bit in the 4th period scoring just three points total. Even so, she finished with 33 points which kept her on pace with Stewart.

Kia Nurse took charge in the 4th quarter, She helped rally the Storm with a nice transition layup and a three-ball. That helped cut the Wings’ lead down to single digits. In total, Nurse scored 14 of her 19 points over the game’s final 10 minutes.

Awak Kuier and Kalani Brown combined for nine points in the 4th quarter and Satou added five more. Jade Melbourne checked in for the first time during the final minute and was able to make two free throws after being fouled.

At the final buzzer, Seattle had lost another game 106-91.

Additional Analysis

Building For Next Year

Kia Nurse’s performance was by far the best part of this game from the Storm’s perspective. Nurse as mentioned above finished with 19 points on 70% field goal shooting (7-10 FG). It was arguably her best game of the entire season. And hopefully, it’s a sign of what the Storm can see more of in 2024.

2023 was by far Kia’s worst season in the WNBA. But she was also coming off of a torn ACL that kept her out of action for more than a year. The hope was that with a 40-game WNBA season, Nurse would have been able to get into a better rhythm in the latter parts of this season but it didn’t really happen. But hopefully, this was the start of something that can carry forward into next season.

I spoke with both Jewell Loyd and Coach Noelle Quinn about that.

“She was aggressive. She came in and she was really focused. I think that’s what we wanted all season. Just confidence and getting her good looks and getting her rhythm. Just how she’s prepared the last couple of weeks. We call her our shooter. She was aggressive. She’s always ready to compete and she was great on both ends of the floor tonight. That’s who Kia is.” Loyd answered.

“For us, obviously, we are not in the playoffs. But we are playing for something. You have to find some type of motivation - all of us to still go out there and compete hard. Whether that’s for the next contract or your own personal gain. Or just for the fans. For Kia, it’s important for her coming back from injury and being on a new team. For her to know she still has it and can do what she can do. We are hyping her up daily and I think it’s important that she’s trying to get better every single day. Today was a really good day for her.” Jewell added.

“It can give her the momentum and the confidence she needs to know that she can really accelerate and find some success in this system. She’s working her way back from injury and it takes time. The patience that she has to have, to get back to where we know she can be. It takes a lot of that. I think today shows that when she’s locked in defensively and able to knock down her threes and the finishes around the rim, I thought that was a good sign. Going into the offseason, just continue to work on those things.” Coach Quinn responded.

Lottery Teams Are Set

With Chicago’s 92-87 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, the Sky have clinched the 8th and final playoff spot. That means the four lottery teams in the 2024 WNBA Draft will be the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, Los Angeles Sparks, and Seattle Storm. That’s bad news for Seattle as it means the Storm will enter the lottery with the lowest odds of landing the number one overall pick.

The percentage odds are below:
Indiana Fever - 44.2%
Phoenix Mercury - 27.6%
Los Angeles Sparks - 17.8%
Seattle Storm - 10.4%

The way the lottery works is that they draw a set of ping pong balls for the top pick in the draft. Indiana will have roughly 442 ping pong balls out of the 1,001. The league does the drawing for the combination of ping pong balls. Then they draw again for the #2 overall pick. If it ends up the same as the first winner, then they will re-draw until there is a second unique winner. The league only draws for the top two spots. Picks 3 and 4 are just based on order.

After doing some research, it looks like they keep the two-year rule even for selections three and four. Unfortunately for the Storm, this means that not only will they have the worst odds at the top pick, and would still have the worst odds for the number two pick, but it also means they would not be eligible for the third overall pick. They will end up either 1, 2, or 4.

The good news is that the 2024 WNBA Draft has a lot of talent. Even if some of the premiere prospects like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers may opt to stay in college until 2025. If Seattle ends up with the 4th pick, I think they can still get a very talented player at four and then still get a solid piece with the 14th pick (2nd in the 2nd round).

And if this rebuild takes multiple years. The Storm will be in prime position for the 2025 WNBA Draft if they miss the playoffs again. There is a good chance the team would have the best or second-best odds at the number one overall pick in 2025.

Mamba Going All Out

Sunday should be a lot of fun! Jewell Loyd will be looking to make history. As we enter the final game of the regular season, Loyd and her former teammate Breanna Stewart are neck in neck in total points for this season. Through 39 games Loyd has scored 911 points and Stewie has scored 910 points. It all comes down to Game 40.

What adds to the excitement is that Stewart and the Liberty will face off against the Washington Mystics at 10:00 AM. Their game will end right around the time Loyd and the Storm tip off against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Liberty still have a shot at the #1 overall seed if they win and the Las Vegas Aces lose. Because of this, I fully expect Stewie to play the entire game (35+ mins).

The Storm aren’t playing for the playoffs. They won’t even be playing spoiler in their final game as the LA Sparks have already been eliminated. Outside of the given - playing for pride, playing for the fans, playing to build towards next season … in reality, the biggest thing the team has going on in Game 40 is whether or not Jewell Loyd finishes the season with the scoring record.

Jewell played all 40 minutes against Dallas and took 30 shots. That allowed her to score 33 points which is what she needed to get even with Stewie. I think we could see something similar on Sunday against Los Angeles. And it reminds me a lot of Jewell’s mentor, Kobe Bryant.

If you followed Kobe over the years, even casually, you likely recall the final game of his illustrious career. The Lakers were awful that season winning just 17 times out of 82 games. But because Bryant knew he was retiring and the team had absolutely nothing to play for, they essentially let Kobe take all the shots in the game. Bryant finished with 60 points on FIFTY field goal attempts. 50 FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS!!!

After the game, I spoke with Coach Noelle Quinn about Kobe’s last game and if we could see something similar with Jewell on Sunday.

“We know this is a special season for her. And she is on pace to break some records and has already done so. So why not? Give it another shot in front of our home crowd to show our appreciation for their consistent support throughout the season. Why not have a game that puts the exclamation mark on an amazing season for her?” Quinn told me.

I spoke with her about the fact that Jewell should know how much she has to score because Stewart’s game will end as they start playing.

“I don’t know if it’ll be good for her to know. I know it’ll be good for us to know so we have a mark. Because sometimes when you know, you go so hard that it’s not organic or relaxed. She’s organically done this all season. I’m sure she’ll check and understand where she needs to be. We’ll do our job. We’ll get her the shots that she needs. If you see all the plays going to her you’ll understand why. But I’ll just point out that her teammates will do an excellent job of staying the course with her, finding her, and understanding how special this season has been for her.” Coach Quinn added.

I’d honestly love to see it happen with Jewell. Why not? There is literally nothing for the team to lose at this stage. If Stewie ends up scoring 25-30 points, let Loyd go out there and shoot 35-40 times and see if she can set the new record.

Breanna has a fantastic chance to win the league MVP award. Stewart and the Liberty will arguably be the favorites to win the WNBA Championship this season. I personally like their depth a lot more than the Aces. Especially, a Las Vegas team without Candace Parker or Riquna Williams.

Stewie can have those this year. Let Jewell earn the scoring record!

Up Next

The Storm (11-28) return home for one final game against the Los Angeles Sparks (16-23) this Sunday at 12:00 PM. This will be Seattle’s final game this year.

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