No Phee, No Chance, Storm Win 91-63

Seattle dominated a Minnesota team without Napheesa Collier.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm finally got their victory against the Minnesota Lynx. They avoided the 4-game sweep after losing the first three games this season. The Storm (15-8) won in emphatic fashion defeating the Minnesota Lynx 91-63. It was one of Seattle’s stronger performances this season. It certainly helped that the Lynx were without MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, who remains out with a foot injury. But a win is a win is a win. And wins against the top teams in the WNBA standings are absolutely necessary for the Storm moving forward.

After trailing 9-2 right out of the gate, the Storm went on a 36-13 run from roughly the middle of the first period to the middle of the second. That included a 16-0 run including 13 straight to begin the second quarter.

Coach Noelle Quinn talked about that after the game.

“I thought (we were) a little bit too comfortable in that 9-2 stretch. We lost a couple of key assignments because we talked about defending the three-point line and making sure we weren't losing McBride. So it was just a refocus and talking about we actually had to adjust our DHO (Dribble Handoff) coverage because if they got too downhill, no resistance. And so we talked about that. But I thought that when we refocused, we got back on track, got some deflections, some activity defensively, and got some good things offensively.” Quinn stated.

Nneka Ogwumike shared her thoughts as well.

“They have a really stout system, and they came out with that energy that they come out with. They know their spots. They know their shots. But, I'm not sure that really wavered us. I think that we still kept going out there trying to get some stops and trying to get some scores. I think we had some really good looks, actually. And we didn't let that deter us. I also think that we adjusted what we did on defense. I think we kind of came back into ourselves. We've been doing a lot of different things with matchups over these last five games. And just going back to our baseline and understanding our philosophy in that, it really helped us get the stops that we needed to be able to turn that over.” Ogwumike added.

Seattle got contributions up and down the lineup. They had five players score in double figures. The Storm were led by Nneka Ogwumike. She finished with 26 points on 10-14 FG and had seven rebounds and three assists. Jewell Loyd added 14 points and five assists. Skylar Diggins-Smith had her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 assists. The 12 assists tied a career high. Ezi Magbegor contributed with 10 points and eight rebounds. Lastly, Sami Whitcomb was a spark off the bench knocking down four three-pointers and totaling 14 points.

“Nneka 19 points in the first half, I believe, and it's not forced. I remember the play where she's two feet under the paint, she sprays to Tori for the three. Those are things that she's capable of, and she's finding her spots, not only for herself, but for her team. The communication, the leadership, all those things that happened during the timeout, the adjustments that were being made, she's kind of spurring that and being the captain of that. We're blessed to have her here. She's a special talent.” Coach Quinn told us after the game.

The home team dominated in several categories. They outshot the Lynx 47% (33-71 FG) to 31% (19-62 FG). Seattle surprisingly won the three-point battle 35% (9-26 FG) to 23% (7-30 FG). They out-rebounded Minnesota 39-31. The Storm nearly doubled the Lynx’s assists 29-14. The 29 assists tied a season-high. They also only committed 11 turnovers. Seattle also had the edge with points in the paint 26-18.

Coach talked about the team moving the ball.

“I thought we were really moving the ball. I thought we were being mindful. Again, two feet in and finding either to dump down or kick out. I saw a difference in the way the ball was moving and popping. I think we're very intentional about that. Sharing the ball today and when that happens and you're at home with the crowd a couple of little shots go in and fall for you. I thought that overall our ball movement was really good.” Quinn said.

Skylar Diggins-Smith shared her thoughts on the overall game as well.

“They're (Minnesota) in a great system and it's a system we've been seeing for 13, 12, however many years. And so we know that they're all threats. And the thing about it is sometimes it's even harder to scout because they flow very well. And so it's kind of unpredictable, the next action and things like that. But I think we played player tendencies. We did a good job with player tendencies tonight. And knowing where the asset was, what the action was, and what the coverage was gonna be, I thought we did a good job of that. Nneka spoke to it, just kind of falling into that. And then feeding through that on the other side, they only have one player in double figures. We know this is a team that's capable of having four, five, and six. And then on the other side, us having five in double figures. I know that we're a great team when we're distributing like that, when we're moving our bodies, when we're moving the ball. And so we were able to anchor on defense tonight, and that kind of established us on offense, being able to get out into the flow more, which is kind of what they like doing.” Diggins-Smith explained.

Minnesota Lynx

It was a lot of Kayla McBride and not much else. Without Napheesa Collier, Minnesota really struggled against Seattle. McBride did her best to keep the Lynx in the game. She finished with 27 points on 7-13 FG shooting including 6-12 FG from beyond the arc. The game got out of hand and she did not play in the fourth quarter at all.

“She's just a great shooter. I thought some of them were open, obviously, but I think some were really well-contested, tough shots. And I think we just let her see a couple go through early. So we had to just be a little bit more aggressive, stay a little bit closer to her.” Sami Whitcomb said about McBride.

“McBride is playing out of this planet, the way she's shooting the three-ball. How efficient she's been and her confidence level. The quick trigger really is quick and her ability to really play within the offense and find her spots; she's deadly from three and she has been all her career but this year has just been exceptional.” Quinn added.

No other Lynx player scored in double figures. Cecilia Zandalasini scored seven points off the bench and was the next leading scorer after McBride.

The Storm did an excellent job keeping Minnesota’s other starters in check. Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith were held to just two points each. Carleton shot 1-8 FG and Smith was 1-4 FG from the floor. Courtney Williams wasn’t much better. She was limited to just six points.

Coach Quinn talked about how her team was able to hold them in check.

“With the exception of the bucket that Carleton got downhill, maybe a couple of threes that kind of spun, went in and out for her. But for the most part, I thought we were very attentive to being in her space, being physical with her, finding her in transition. A lot of what she gets in their offense is the corner threes because of the point of attack coverages, a breakdown, or whatever the case may be, over help. Our defense was very solid to start and then didn't get anything on the back side as much.

Smith, her activity has hurt us. So the rebounding has hurt us and her ability to block shots and do all those things at that were neutralized tonight because of Nneka, her physicality. But also, Ezi was more mindful of getting a body on her and not making her physicality an issue.” Quinn explained.

Game Breakdown

Skylar Diggins-Smith was able to get a steal and found Loyd in transition to start the game. Dorka Juhász was able to scoop in a shot. Kayla McBride then scored on the next possession. Bridget Carleton was then able to get inside for two. Kayla McBride then knocked in a three-pointer after Seattle committed a turnover. That quickly put the Lynx up 9-2 and forced Coach Noelle Quinn to call a timeout.

Nneka Ogwumike made a jumper to end Minnesota’s 9-0 run. Seattle got a defensive deflection that led to Jordan Horston finding Diggins-Smith at the rim. Dorka made a difficult jumper over Ezi Magbegor. SDS found Jordan Horston under the rim for the layup. Horston then made a beautiful pass to Ogwumike for two more. The Storm cut the deficit to one but then Jewell fouled Kayla McBride on a three-point attempt. McBride made all three free throws to push the lead back up to four.

Seattle tied the game up after a nice step-back jumper from Loyd and an assist from Loyd to Magbegor. Nneka Ogwumike drilled a three-pointer to give Seattle their first lead of the game. That was part of a 15-5 run by the Storm.

Cecilia Zandalasini checked in and immediately knocked in a three-pointer to tie the game at 20-20. Sami Whitcomb hit a three at the end of the first period to give the Storm a three-point lead at 25-22.

Victoria Vivians knocked down a three-pointer to begin the second quarter. Vivians scored again on a dribble pull-up past the defender to put the Storm up eight at 30-22. Nneka Ogwumike was fouled and made both free throws. She then made a jumper with an assist from Diggins-Smith. The Storm started the second period on a 13-0 run before Diamond Miller scored inside the paint. Alanna Smith made a layup and was fouled but was unable to convert the AND1 at the foul line. Courtney Williams then made a tough runner near the rim.

Diggins-Smith scored in the lane and was fouled for an AND1 opportunity. Natisha Hiedeman made a nice move to the rim and banked it in. Skylar countered with a three-pointer. Diamond Miller was fouled and made both free throws. McBride scored five quick points with two free throws and a three-pointer that came off of a Seattle turnover. Ezi scored once more to finish up the first half. The Storm led 50-37 at the midway point.

Nneka Ogwumike continued where she left off with a score down low. McBride was fouled and made both free throws. Ezi made a layup and a pair of free throws. Courtney Williams was fouled right before the shot clock and made two free throws. Williams then hit one of her trusted midrange jumpers. Kayla McBride did everything she could to keep Minnesota close. McBride scored 11 points in the quarter including back-to-back three-pointers. After the second in a row, Coach Quinn called a timeout to make sure her team didn’t allow any more of that.

An AND1 by Ogwumike put the Storm up 16. Sami Whitcomb made two free throws. Zandalasini got the ball off a Seattle turnover in the backcourt and made a jumper. Horston hit one for Seattle. Zandalasini was fouled and made two free throws to end the quarter. Seattle led 72-56 at the end of three.

Sami Whitcomb knocked down a three-ball to start the 4th quarter. And then she continued to do so. Whitcomb hit two more triples over the next couple of minutes to increase Seattle’s lead to 25.

The rest of the fourth quarter featured the two team’s benches. Coach Cheryl Reeve waived the white flag and did not play Kayla McBride or Courtney Williams at all over the final 10 minutes.

The Storm tried to get Nika Mühl her first WNBA points but it didn’t happen. She had two shot attempts but missed both.

Seattle outscored Minnesota 19-7 over those last 10 minutes. That allowed them to balloon the lead up to 28 points. The Storm won 91-63.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

Napheesa’s Injury

Napheesa Collier is one of the WNBA’s best players. She is the Minnesota Lynx’s best player. Collier is averaging 20.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.

The Lynx are 2-1 in the three games that Collier has missed with her foot injury. They have two more games remaining before the Olympic break. They host the Indiana Fever on Sunday at 1:00 PM. And then host the Atlanta Dream next Wednesday before the WNBA season comes to a pause.

It’s unclear if Collier will play in any of these games before the Olympics or continue to rest her injured foot. The team has diagnosed her with Plantar fasciitis. Apparently, it’s something that’s bothered her on and off over the years.

If Napheesa doesn’t end up playing in any of the remaining games in July, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with her and the Olympics. If she doesn’t play in the Olympics, then the injury might be more concerning than originally thought.

Minnesota is currently in 3rd place in the WNBA standings but the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm are right on their heels. The Lynx can’t afford to be without Collier for too much longer if they want to remain as one of the best teams in the WNBA.

Three-Point Shooting the Key

The Seattle Storm PR provided notes ahead of Friday night’s game that the Seattle Storm were 12-0 when shooting above 25% from three-point range. They shot 35% (9-26 FG) in this game against Minnesota and won by nearly 30 points. They are now 13-0 when they’re on top of their three-point game.

I’ve long talked about the Storm’s lack of three-point shooting this season and how it is incredibly concerning for the long-term outlook of this team. Especially, once we get into the playoffs. In the majority of Seattle’s losses, against the league’s elite, the Storm have been awful from beyond the arc.

They’ve been one of the best teams at scoring inside the paint. Thanks to the strong play from Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. And both Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith’s ability to get downhill and drive towards the rim. They are also generally very good at getting to the free throw line. Loyd the most of all. That’s allowed Seattle to still be one of the five best teams in the WNBA despite their poor shooting and low three-point numbers.

However, if they can just get to the point where they are even solid from beyond the arc, and shoot around 30-35%, they can become one of the league’s most dangerous teams.

Seattle is one of the best defensive teams in the WNBA. They are one of the best rebounding teams in the WNBA. And they are one of the top teams to score inside the paint. If they can just add a more consistent three-point shot before the end of the season, they can be champions.

On Friday night, Sami Whitcomb made 4-9 FG on her three-point attempts. Victoria Vivians made 2-3 FG. I talked with Coach Noelle Quinn about being able to do that more consistently moving forward.

“All year I know we haven't been efficient in that area. I have a goal in my mind of where we actually hit the goal today, where we want to be, not only percentage-wise, but makes-wise. And the neutralizer for us has been points in the paint and getting to the free-throw line. And if we can continue to live in that area, some good things will happen, but we have to have balance in our three-point shooting. And so for Tori to come in and hit, for Sami to hit, you see Nneka hit, Jewell's going to get on track I know, and start to see hers go through as well. It matters for us because when you have a lot of balance offensively, we can be very, very good.” Quinn stated.

Mühl Under Pressure

Nika Mühl got into this game because it was another blowout for Seattle. She played roughly the final six minutes of the fourth quarter. Mühl has yet to score in the WNBA and I wonder if that pressure is starting to get to her. Nika does not get a lot of playing time. She’s basically only seeing minutes if the Storm are up by more than 20 points midway through the fourth quarter.

Recently, when she’s come into the game. I think it’s been kind of obvious that the team is really trying to get her to take a shot and try and score her first career WNBA points. But I do worry that could be putting extra unnecessary pressure on her. Instead of scoring just through the flow of the game, it feels like they’re forcing things a bit.

Mühl took two three-point shot attempts during her time in the fourth quarter. She missed both but they were pretty decent looks. She also had one nice pass that should have set up, I believe Mercedes Russell, but Russell wasn’t able to convert the basket. Nika also had a drive where she got caught in the air and made a bad pass turnover out of bounds.

Hopefully, she’ll get her first points soon so that she can get that monkey off of her back and just go out there and play. Be relaxed and play within the flow of the game.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm have one more home game of this record nine-game homestand. They will host the Atlanta Dream (7-15) on Sunday, July 14th at 3:00 PM in Climate Pledge Arena. It’s funny that the Storm have finished a full four-game series against the Minnesota Lynx before even playing the Atlanta Dream once. Sunday will be the teams’ first matchup this season against one another.

Notes:
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