Collier's career-high leads Lynx past Storm 104-93

Seattle's defense wasn't up to standard during their loss to Minnesota.

(Minneapolis, Minnesota) - The Seattle Storm were blitzed right out of the gate on Tuesday night as the Minnesota Lynx exploded for 35 points in the first quarter. While the first five minutes of the game saw each team swap leads back and forth. Once Minnesota took the lead midway through the first they would never relinquish it. The Lynx led by as many as 17 points and finished the game with an 11-point win with a final score of 104-93.

Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb led the team in scoring with 20 points each. Magbegor also added six rebounds and two blocked shots. Whitcomb was highly efficient with her shot connecting on 64% (7-11 FG) of her shots including six made three-pointers.

I spoke with Whitcomb after the game about what worked well for her on offense.

“I thought people did a really good job of finding me. Oftentimes, it’s the extra pass out of the action. I thought people did a really great job of doing that. Offensively, we scored 93 points so that wasn’t really the issue as much as it was defensively. I thought we got a lot of really great looks for Kia as well and Ezi inside. Just a credit to my teammates for finding me.” Whitcomb answered.

The Storm did have a well-balanced attack in this game as six players scored in double figures. That included four out of the five starters along with Whitcomb and Joyner Holmes off the bench. Ivana Dojkić continues to impress with another strong performance. She finished with 14 points, nine assists, and two steals. Just one assist shy of her first career double-double.

Sadly, Jewell Loyd was held to a season-low 14 points. She also really struggled with her shot hitting just 4-18 FG. To Loyd’s credit, she did lead the team with nine rebounds.

I asked Coach Noelle Quinn what the team can do to help Loyd get better looks and more offense when the two teams rematch on Thursday.

“In the first half, she saw the things she’s been seeing over the past few games. Top locks and over-denying. We have to continue to make her a screener but also when she does get those looks, make sure she’s in rhythm and comfortable. One thing that lacked today was also getting to the free throw line. That helps her. If everyone else can play at a high level and play efficiently, for Jewell, it’s a matter of getting her into the middle of the floor. Where she won’t be blocked as much. She’ll continue to see physicality but I’m confident we will find good looks for her” Noelle replied.

Seattle’s best quarter was the second period where they outscored Minnesota 27-18. During the post-game press conference, I asked what Coach Quinn liked about her team during that stretch.

“I liked our pace. I thought we were getting some stops. We were moving the ball and we were executing at a high level offensively. I thought defensively, our defense was in front of our bench so we were a little more communicative. We were sharper and on point with our rotations. We had very good synergy between our defense and our offense. We had some good possessions. Ezi got to the rim and was aggressive. That lacked in the 2nd half.” Quinn stated.

Minnesota Lynx

It was a career night for multiple Minnesota Lynx players. Napheesa Collier was unstoppable in the second half and finished the game with a new career-high of 33 points. 24 of those points came over the final twenty minutes. She also had a double-double by adding 10 rebounds.

All five Lynx starters scored in double figures. Rookie Diamond Miller finished with a career-high 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Another rookie, Dorka Juhász, had her first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Lindsay Allen also showed out nicely having a near double-double herself. She finished the game with 11 points and nine assists. Allen was also very effective from the floor making 5-7 FG. She is starting to hit her stride with the Lynx. Over the past four games, Allen has 27 assists and just two turnovers. That’s quite the assist-to-turnover ratio!

It was a great game for Cheryl Reeve’s team. They managed to shoot 53% (41-77 FG), 40% (8-20 FG) from deep, and 93% (14-15 FT) from the free throw line. Minnesota hit the very special 50-40-90 mark. A credit to the Lynx’s offense and a black mark for the Storm’s defense.

They out-rebounded Seattle 38-33. Edged them in assists at 25-21. And they absolutely crushed the Storm with a 54-32 advantage with points in the paint.

Magbegor talked with me after the game about the troubles inside the paint and the adjustments that will need to be made on Thursday.

“Just making their shots tougher. Make them catch the ball outside of the paint. Clogging the paint on downhill drives as well. So a bit of individual defense but team defense as well.” Ezi stated.

Game Breakdown

Kayla McBride knocked down a three-pointer on the game’s first shot to put Minnesota on the board. Dorka Juhász then got inside the paint for two more. Ezi Magbegor was then able to blow by Napheesa Collier for the layup. On the next play, Ivana Dojkić jumped the passing lane and raced down the court for the easy score to cut Minnesota’s lead to one at 5-4. Kia Nurse then knocked down a triple to put the Storm on top by two.

Lindsay Allen made a beautiful pass to a rolling Juhász who finished at the rim to tie the game. Rookie Diamond Miller scored back-to-back baskets for the Lynx including a beautiful high-arching deep jumper. Dojkić then found Ezi off the pick and roll that tied the game at 11-11.

Both teams battled back and forth. Ezi Magbegor tied the game again at 16-16 on a nice turnaround fadeaway. McBride hit another three-ball to help Minnesota regain the lead. Kayla would hit her third triple just a couple of plays later to put Minnesota up six at 24-18.

Joyner Holmes badly missed a three-point attempt which allowed Minnesota to get out in transition. Nikola Milić beat everyone down the court for an easy layup to put the Lynx up 10 points at 28-18. This forced Coach Noelle Quinn to call a timeout with the Lynx outscoring the Storm 12-2 during this stretch.

Minnesota finished the first quarter on a 22-6 run over the final five minutes. The Lynx led 35-20 after one.

Fortunately, Seattle made a rally in the second quarter. Sami Whitcomb, Ivana Dojkić, and Jewell Loyd each made three-pointers. They cut the 17-point deficit down to just six at 44-38. However, the Lynx responded with their own 7-0 run to put themselves back up by thirteen.

The Storm battled back to cut Minnesota’s lead down to six at 53-47 at the midway point; outscoring Minnesota 9-2 over the final three minutes. Dojkić scored four of those points and Joyner Holmes added a three-pointer.

I spoke with Ezi after the game about the positives from the second quarter.

“Just that we made adjustments. I do think we can’t have those lapses (in the 1st period). It needs to be that way for all four quarters. I’m proud of the team for coming out in the 2nd quarter and sticking with it. Not letting them extend that lead which I do think earlier in the season is something we would have done.” Magbegor responded.

Seattle cut the deficit to four on multiple occasions early in the third period but could never get any closer than that.

Kia Nurse was able to knock down a mid-range jumper but Lindsay Allen responded on the other end driving the lane and finishing at the rim. This put Minnesota back up ten at 70-60.

Loyd started going to work. She was able to get to the foul line multiple times sinking all four free throws. She also knocked down a three-pointer.

McBride was able to finish in the lane with an AND1 layup that put the Lynx back up eight points at 75-67. Whitcomb hit a three-ball before Diamond Miller got her own AND1 layup.

Kia Nurse and Joyner Holmes each scored for Seattle. Collier made another basket for the Lynx. At the end of the third period, Minnesota led 80-74. Both teams scored 27 points each in the quarter.

The AND1 opportunities continued for the Lynx as Napheesa Collier got another one to begin the 4th quarter. Collier continued to dominate over the final ten minutes making five of seven shots.

Meanwhile, the Storm went cold again in the 4th quarter. Jewell Loyd missed all three of her field goal attempts and Joyner missed both of her shots as the Lynx got their lead back up to 15 points. Loyd was held scoreless in the fourth and was limited to a season-low 14 points.

Lindsay Allen made a couple of nice plays late in the game scoring six of her 11 points in the fourth. The Lynx outscored the Storm 24-19 over the last 10 minutes. Napheesa Collier scored 12 of the Lynx’s 24 points. Minnesota led by double digits throughout most of the final frame. At the final buzzer, the home team had won 104-93.

Additional Analysis

Mom Strength

We are witnessing something really special with Napheesa Collier’s season right now. She is averaging a career-high 21.8 PPG on 49% FG shooting and 7.7 RPG. This all comes after she was pregnant and had her baby just last season. She returned late in the season last year for just a few games which was a miracle in itself. But to put up the numbers she is this season is beyond incredible. I don’t even feel I can appropriately put it into words but I wanted to acknowledge it here in this article.

I wanted to get feedback from the Storm’s perspective as well. I spoke with both Coach Noelle Quinn and Sami Whitcomb about what Collier has been able to accomplish and what it means for women and WNBA players moving forward.

“Well, it’s a cheat code to have a personal trainer as your husband. She’s come into amazing shape. That’s the first thing I would say, find you a personal trainer. But yes, to your point, it’s a great message. Women are amazing! We can do a lot of things, especially in this league to have families and still compete at a high level. She’s an Olympian. She’s carrying this (Lynx) team this year. She’s in amazing shape. All of the things that you see are just a testament to how hard she’s working. It’s not easy to do the things she’s done in such a short amount of time. I know they talk about on TV, that moms have this mom strength. She definitely has that mom strength in her! She’s playing at a high level. I commend her and all the mothers in this league that are able to play at a high level, perfect their craft at a high level, and be number one in their kid’s life. That’s amazing to me. I really respect all the ladies in our league who are mothers and have done exactly what Phee has done.” Coach Quinn answered.

“I mean, I think it’s amazing! It’s incredible that she’s done that. Obviously, none of us know the amount of work that she’s had to put in order to do that. But I can imagine it was very, very difficult. The fact that she’s kind of making it look easy is probably just a credit to her and how hard she’s worked. She was a tremendous player before. It’s pretty great to see her come out and do that.” Whitcomb added.

What’s wonderful is Collier isn’t the only one around the league doing this. Cheyenne Parker of the Atlanta Dream missed part of the 2021 WNBA season as she was pregnant. She is now averaging a career-high 15.5 PPG this season! Dearica Hamby just had a baby this year and has already played 14 games this season where she’s averaging 10 PPG and over 6 RPG. Of course, DeWanna Bonner had twins and missed the 2017 season. Only to come back and average over 17 PPG in 2018 where she nearly helped the Phoenix Mercury eliminate the Storm in the playoffs!

It really is a credit to these amazing women to be able to have children and still play basketball at such a high level. They deserve all the praise and “flowers” they get.

Diamond of a Rookie

As an observer, I was excited to see the #2 overall draft pick, Diamond Miller, back and playing for the Minnesota Lynx. She injured her ankle back on May 30th and hadn’t played a game in nearly a month. This was just her sixth game of her WNBA career and she’s never looked better.

Miller finished with a career-high 18 points on 62% (8-13 FG) shooting. She also added five assists and four rebounds. Miller showed off excellent athleticism with her ability to get to the rim with ease. She also sank a couple of beautiful jump shots. Diamond showed off many of the attractive qualities that landed her in Minnesota as the second overall pick.

Unfortunately, I was hoping to see the Storm’s rookie Jordan Horston, go up against and compete with Diamond Miller but it wasn’t meant to be. Horston is still dealing with her shoulder injury and missed her second-straight game. Her health is the most important thing, so hopefully she recovers and returns to the Storm once she’s feeling better.

I did speak with Sami Whitcomb and Coach Noelle Quinn to get their thoughts on what they saw from Diamond Miller.

“She’s dynamic obviously. She gets in transition and goes downhill and is tough to defend. For us, we have to locate her earlier and we have to stop that earlier. She’s long and athletic so I think she has a lot of tools. She’s very capable. When we talk about adjustments, that’s something we’ll have to address.” Whitcomb told me.

“She plays at a high level. She’s fearless. She came back and played 30 minutes. It didn’t seem like she missed a beat with her wind and how hard she was going. (Miller) is very versatile. She’s able to pass and get to the rim. (Diamond) knocked down a three today. Obviously, she started the year at a high level too. Being out really has impacted them. She’s a game-changer for sure!” Quinn added.

Joyner vs Mercedes

One thing to keep an eye on moving forward is the use of Joyner Holmes and Mercedes Russell. The move to add Holmes to the roster made a ton of sense because the team was lacking an extra post body.

Over the past two games, Joyner has impressed off the bench; she’s scored 23 points and pulled down 14 rebounds total against Phoenix and Minnesota. She’s also averaging 26.5 MPG in her last two games.

While Mercedes played nearly the same amount of minutes (24) as Joyner on Saturday against Phoenix, her minutes were reduced to just 13 against the Lynx.

Holmes's minutes have increased significantly over the past two games because Jordan Horston has been out with an injury. For the importance of the Storm’s future, I hope that Jordan’s minutes aren’t severely reduced once she does come back.

With that said, Joyner has certainly provided a spark off the bench and is proving she’s earned more playing time. She deserves more time even when Jordan returns. At least more than the 5-6 minutes she was averaging prior to the Phoenix game.

Will those minutes be taken from Mercedes Russell, Jordan Horston, or someone else? We should find out over the next 2-3 weeks.

No More Excuses

The margin for error is so tiny in such an incredibly talented league as the WNBA. This is particularly true for all the teams not named the Las Vegas Aces. With that in mind, that is playing a major factor in the Storm’s season.

Coach Quinn has talked about the team struggles to play a consistent 40 minutes. We’ve witnessed that a lot this year. There are games the Storm have played really good defense including a four-game stretch between June 6th and June 13th where they didn’t allow the opposing team to score more than 73 points in any of those games. They’ve also had some really strong offensive performances including their two games against Dallas where they topped 90+ points both times. They also scored 97 against Phoenix and had 93 during Tuesday’s loss at Minnesota.

Unfortunately, the Storm have rarely played great offense and exceptional defense in the same 40-minute game. With such a young roster with four rookies and several other inexperienced players, this isn’t terribly surprising. I’ve written multiple times that the team is going to go through a lot of growing pains this season.

With all that said, I wanted to hear from Coach Quinn on the subject. Does she consider the team’s inexperience to be the primary reason for their inconsistencies or is that just an excuse?

“I don’t want to make excuses. I don’t want to keep saying that we’re young and this is happening because of that. I don’t want to do that any longer. We are pros. At the end of the day, yes we are new. We are learning and growing in a lot of ways. But we are almost halfway through our season now and these are things that are basic fundamentals and principles that can’t go out the window. I don’t want to continue to lean on that even if it is a fact. We just have to continue to find ways to stay consistent.” Coach Quinn told me.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (4-10) return home to host the Minnesota Lynx (5-9). The game is this Thursday, June 29th at 7:00 PM.

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