Storm's monster rally falls short as the Mystics win 71-65

On Sue Bird's jersey retirement day, the Storm put on an exciting game despite the losing effort.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm went down fighting. On a day that meant so much more to the Seattle basketball community, the action on the court took a backseat to Sue Bird’s jersey retirement ceremony. Bird was honored throughout the game. That was capped off by a three-hour-long retirement ceremony. It ran longer than the actual game! But for an athlete as important and impactful as Sue Bird, it was appropriate.

In the first half, Seattle played a very forgettable game. They were dominated in almost every facet of basketball. From shooting to rebounding, it was ugly.

Fortunately, the team fought hard and gave the fans something to cheer about. The Storm more than doubled their points from the first half scoring 44 points in the final two quarters and outscoring the Mystics 44-25.

The rally ultimately fell short. Washington Mystics won the game 71-65.

I spoke with Coach Quinn after the game about the differences between the two halves.

“We weren’t locked into our schemes (in the first half). We weren’t hyper-aware or focused on our schemes or our scout. We struggled to score. Jewell had two early fouls and that didn’t help us offensively. If we aren’t playing in transition we aren’t at our best. We cleaned some of those mistakes up after halftime and adjusted as the game adjusted. We were able to go on a little bit of a run playing out of our defense.” Coach Quinn answered.

Jewell Loyd led the team in scoring with 16 points but was held to her lowest point total of the season. Coming back after missing Friday’s game with a foot injury, Loyd clearly wasn’t her 100% healthy self. She struggled with her shot going 6-22 FG from the floor including 1-8 FG from deep range. To her credit, she was contributing in other ways that included a game-high five assists and five rebounds.

Ezi Magbegor had a solid game with 13 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots, four assists, and three steals. The four blocks set a new Storm franchise record as Magbegor now has three blocks or more in five consecutive games. Surpassing Lauren Jackson’s record of doing it in four straight games.

Seattle finished shooting 38% (24-64 FG) and 23% (5-22 FG) from long range. They edged D.C. 18-14 in assists. The Storm outscored the Mystics 24-16 inside the paint. Seattle’s bench edged 14-13 in points. They were much better in transition outscoring Washington 13-4.

In a lot of ways, Seattle outplayed Washington. But they just played so poorly in the first half that they dug themselves too deep a hole that they weren’t able to fully overcome.

Washington Mystics

Elena Delle Donne did not play in this game as she dealt with neck tightness that was triggered in the 2nd half of Friday’s game. With EDD out, Natasha Cloud really stepped up scoring a game-high 19 points including knocking down 4-6 FG from beyond the arc. Cloud added five assists and four rebounds to boot.

“She is steady. She’s a point guard that’s been in this league. She’s a champion. She has a lot of grit. She started on the defensive end. (Cloud) was super confident in her three-point shot and her shot in general. She’s a tough matchup.” Coach Quinn said about Natasha Cloud’s performance.

Shakira Austin finished with a near-double-double of 11 points and nine rebounds. Ariel Atkins added 12 points including six points late in the game that helped preserve the victory for the Mystics.

They were red-hot in the first half shooting 57% from deep which helped them build their 25-point halftime lead. They cooled off significantly in the 2nd half and finished the game shooting 36% (21-59 FG) and 44% (11-25) from the three-point line.

More important for D.C. was that they out-rebounded Seattle 40-30. They also edged Seattle in Free Throw makes and attempts knocking down 18-22 FG (+6).

Game Breakdown

Washington immediately got an offensive rebound to begin this game. Something that plagued the Storm frequently two nights ago. From that offensive rebound, Natasha Cloud knocked down a three at the top of the arc. Shakira Austin was able to score inside the paint to put the Mystics up 5-0 quickly.

Jordan Horston got the first start of her career and was the first Seattle player to score in this game with a nice little jump hook. Kia Nurse then scored five points in quick succession. First with a nice runner in the lane and then with a three-ball.

Natasha Cloud matched Nurse with her own 5-0 run. Austin scored again with a nice step back. Then Jewell Loyd and Ariel Atkins swapped three-point baskets. From there, Washington continued to dominate as the Storm went ice cold. Cloud knocked down another triple, her third of the first period. Austin got another tough basket in the paint.

Seattle didn’t score again after Loyd’s three-pointer with 4:44 left in the opening frame. Loyd picked up her second foul shortly after that and no other players were able to score. They missed their final 10 shots of the period.

D.C. ended the quarter on a 15-3 run in the final five minutes including 10-0 to close out the quarter.

The Mystics stayed hot from three as Tiana Hawkins buried a triple to begin the second period. Washington jumped all over Seattle scoring the first 12 points. A 10-point deficit became a 20-point deficit as the Mystics expanded their lead to 20 at 30-10. It ultimately ended up being a 22-0 run before Kia Nurse would score again for the Storm.

It felt like I was watching a game of NBA Jam where the Washington Mystics were “ON FIRE!” and continued to punish Seattle. They knocked down 67% of their three-point attempts deep into the first half and led 40-14.

Ivana Dojkić gave the Storm a small boost off the bench in the second quarter scoring five points and finding Ezi for an assist.

The Mystics led by 28 points in the first half and held a 46-21 lead at the break. Natasha Cloud led D.C. with 11 points. Shakira Austin provided 10 points and 7 rebounds. Shatoria Walker-Kimbrough added eight points off the bench and Tiana Hawkins contributed with seven points replacing Elena Delle Donne in the first half.

D.C. more than doubled Seattle in rebounds in the first half with a 25-12 advantage. This also led to them having a 7-0 advantage in second-chance points through twenty minutes. They shot 47% (15-32 FG) and an impressive 57% (8-14 FG) from deep. They were also a perfect 8-8 from the Free Throw line.

Trailing by 25 points, it’s not a surprise that the Storm struggled offensively. They made just 30% (9-30 FG) and 25% (3-12 FG) from the three-point line. Seattle was also 0-4 FT from the charity stripe.

Seattle did have a nice start to begin the third quarter starting on a 11-3 run including scoring the half’s first six points. Loyd scored seven points and Horston added four more.

Once Seattle cut the near-30-point deficit down to 17 Coach Eric Thibault was forced to call a timeout.

Seattle got really good minutes from Kia Nurse and Jordan Horston. Nurse, mostly on the defensive end picking up multiple steals and rebounds.

Horston got her shot going and scored eight points in the third period. She did a great job of firing the home crowd up.

On Horston’s basket, Seattle was able to cut the 28-point deficit down to 13 points at 53-40 with 3:48 left in the third period. However, the Mystics finished the quarter on a 10-2 run to help push their lead back up to 21 points at 63-42.

The Storm started the fourth quarter on an incredible 17-0 run to cut Washington’s lead to single digits at 63-57. Ezi Magbegor scored nine points in the quarter.

Ariel Atkins finally got the Mystics on the scoreboard in the 4th quarter with just 3:41 left in the game. Kia Nurse responded with a huge three-pointer but Atkins immediately knocked one down again to put D.C. back up by six points at 68-62.

Shakira Austin was called for a Flagrant-One foul against Ivana Dojkić during a defensive closeout. She did not give Ivana room to land and was called for the foul. Dojkić calmly sank all three free throws to make it 68-65.

Jewell had several opportunities to help the Storm tie the game but missed her final four shots.

Seattle’s defense kept them in the game limiting D.C. to just eight points in the final ten minutes. The Storm outscored the Mystics 23-8 in the final period.

The Mystics knocked down three Free Throws to close the game out.

Additional Analysis

Balanced Scoring

It’s important to find the positives in a season like this. A big positive of this game was the balanced scoring Seattle got from more than just Jewell Loyd. In total, five players reached double figures scoring including four out of five starters and two rookies!

Jordan Horston earned the first start of her WNBA career. In turn, she had her third straight strong game scoring in double figures for the third time in a row. Horston scored eight of her ten points in the third quarter during a time when the team was fiercely rallying from a massive deficit. Horston continued to fill the stat sheet by adding five rebounds and two blocked shots.

Speaking with Noelle Quinn after the game, I asked her what the biggest difference she’s seen from Jordan over this past week.

“Her confidence. Her understanding of our schemes. Being in the correct place, especially on the defensive end. She’s such an elite athlete that it’s so important for her to hone in on the ‘How To’ of things. She’s doing that on the defensive end. Offensively, just playing with pace in transition and finding ways to get to the rim.” Quinn told me.

Horston wasn’t the only rookie that had a strong game. Ivana Dojkić had the best game of her early WNBA career scoring a career-high 12 points and dishing out four assists. She also had two steals.

Kia Nurse had one of her best games of this season scoring 12 points on 50% (5-10 FG) field goal shooting. It’s so important that Nurse continues to score for Seattle. It’s unrealistic to expect Jewell Loyd to score 30 points a game. As evidenced by Sunday’s performance. Nurse has been a former All-Star and does shoot the ball very well with a quick release. Hopefully, Nurse continues to gain confidence and look for her shot because the Storm are going to need her offense.

I also don’t want it to go neglected but Nurse’s play on the defensive end really stood out to me. She was active with her hands and kept her eyes on the ball. She finished with four steals and collected four rebounds.

Loyd and Magbegor led the team again. That likely will be the case throughout the season. But if the Storm are going to turn some of these close losses into wins they are going to need this type of balanced scoring moving forward.

Coach Quinn talked to me about the importance of having balanced scoring moving forward.

“We definitely need that! On the nights that Jewell isn’t so efficient. We have to find ways to find multiple scorers. Obviously, we’re leaning on Ezi a lot as well. If we can have more balance it’s so helpful for our offense.” Coach stated.

So Close!

Per Kevin Pelton, the Storm were close to setting a new WNBA record to overcome the largest 4th quarter deficit in WNBA history. Entering the final period, they trailed by 21 points at 63-42. Seattle managed to cut it down to three points multiple times and needed just one or two more baskets to fall.

The great news about this is the fight they are putting up. That means they aren’t giving up. They aren’t having negative attitudes. They aren’t tuning out the coach.

When teams are down by nearly 30 points it is so easy to just stop trying. The fact that this team is filled with so many younger players is likely a big reason why they keep battling and keep fighting.

Coach Quinn talked about the team’s ability to fight back and battle even when down big.

“Continue to teach and emphasize, watch film, and get better. Stay positive as well because there are good things that happening. We just have to put everything together for four quarters and not just a half.” Quinn responded.

Honoring Seattle’s GOAT

After the game ended, the Storm put on a tremendous retirement ceremony for Seattle’s greatest athlete of all time. Nearly 14,000 fans stayed for nearly three hours after the game had ended to listen to beautiful, heart-warming, and funny speeches from Seattle Storm owners Ginny Gilder and Lisa Brummel, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson, Jenny Boucek, Megan Rapinoe, and more.

All before the woman of the hour got to get up and share her basketball story. Full of memories, funny stories, and a journey through her entire basketball career.

Hopefully, the Storm will publish the entire ceremony on their YouTube channel or their website.

After the game, I asked Sue what it meant to have Lauren Jackson, Jenny Boucek, and Swin Cash here.

“I’m blown away by it. I keep joking that this experience is like a Wedding and a Funeral in one. It’s like a wedding where you’re seeing all these people that you don’t get to see all the time. And you’re trying to soak it all in this one moment. And the funeral, all the things they are sharing about you. What they’re expressing in terms of what the relationship was between who was speaking and myself. What they see in me and their experiences. It’s very rare that you get to have these types of moments so it was really special for everyone that spoke, to hear what they had to say. And of course, for Lauren to fly out here with her son, that’s a big, big trip. It’s so meaningful. The one thing I wish I had said but it just escaped me - is how amazing it’s going to be in the rafters, but it’ll be even more amazing being next to her.” Bird told me.

Sue Bird is what makes the Seattle Storm franchise such a special place. They are winners. They are champions. They have been Seattle’s most successful franchise and a lot of that comes from Bird.

Frankly, Sue has been so important in my life. From the time, my father started taking me to Storm games in the early 2000s. I was fortunate to watch her entire career from the beginning. First, as a fan and then as a member of the media.

Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson were the best things about Seattle Sports for years and years. Their exciting and beautiful games of basketball made me a fan when I was younger. And inspired me to do what I do now covering the WNBA and the Storm. I never felt you got the credit you deserved and I wanted to help make an impact and bring more sports media coverage to the Storm.

Your legacy will live on forever! Thank you, Sue!

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (1-6) head out on the road for three straight games before returning to Seattle. Next up, they will face the Phoenix Mercury (2-5) on Tuesday, June 13th at 7:00 PM.

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