Sparks Upset Storm in WNBA Canada Game 84-79

Relax, it's just preseason.

(Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) - In front of nearly 17,000 fans we got our first glance at this new-look Seattle Storm squad. Some players shined but for others, it’s still a work in progress. Yes, we’ve arrived at the WNBA preseason. While Seattle got their first opportunity to see Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike play for the Storm, Los Angeles got to see a preview of their team’s future in the form of two WNBA Draft lottery selections, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. In the end, it was the upstart LA Sparks that left Canada with an 84-79 upset victory over the Storm.

Diggins-Smith already looked to be in All-Star form, leading the team with 14 points on 5-8 FG shooting in just 20 minutes of action. She also had a team-high five assists and four rebounds. Maybe more impressively, was her hustle on the defensive side of the floor. Skylar finished the game with four steals, multiple of which led to easy transition points for the Storm.

“It’s easy playing with this group. I knew this would be a feel game for me, rhythm-wise, touch, being in shape. A lot of that I’m still working on. I really just try to have a clear mind coming into this game and not put any expectations on myself. But I play with a great group of women beside me that put me in position to be successful. Just reading Noey on how she wants it to look and picking her brain there. I’m glad we still have some time before our first game. But it felt good tonight just to be out there again and be in that atmosphere was amazing. For this to be my debut with my new team.” Diggins-Smith stated.

In total, Seattle had four players score in double figures. Jewell Loyd added 12 points while Joyner Holmes (13 points) and Sami Whitcomb (12) scored off the bench.

“I think it was good. Getting out there we’ve been playing with each other and against the scout team, so it was good to play against a different team and get a different feel. I think we have a lot of positives going into the season and into next week. And just things we need to work on, we discussed that in our locker room. I was happy with what we had out on the floor tonight.” Holmes said after the game.

Despite having a team-best +9 while she was on the court, Nneka Ogwumike struggled a bit in her first game with Seattle. She took just six shots converting only one of them and had a total of four points. Ogwumike almost looked too passive at times. At one point, she passed up what looked like a direct lane to the rim and instead tried to feed the ball to Holmes who had two defenders on her. It’s still early and Nneka is still figuring things out with a brand new team but Seattle and Ogwumike need to make a more concerted effort to get her going offensively.

The Storm had similar problems in this game that they had all of last season. They were killed on the glass being out-rebounded 42-19. They gave up 14 offensive rebounds that allowed the Sparks to score an additional 21 points. And were outscored 40-28 inside the paint. It should be noted, the team was without Ezi Magbegor or Jordan Horston in this game.

Despite not rebounding the ball, for the most part, Seattle looked good on the defensive side of the court. They forced the Sparks into 24 turnovers and converted 23 points off of those mistakes. Seattle had a 13-10 edge in steals and a 5-2 advantage in blocks. SDS and Holmes combined for eight steals in the game.

“We had a few goals. I thought turnover-wise, we ended where we wanted to be. We liked the assist numbers. Defensively, we felt like we had more to give rebounding. That’s definitely an area of improvement for us. Guards got to help the posts rebound. We have to gang rebound, that’s what we call it. We have a lot of things to go off of. I thought we got to the free throw line. Maybe defending the three-point line a little bit better. We’ll talk to the coaches too to evaluate a little bit and see what we have to get ready for before we play again on Tuesday.” Skylar added.

Los Angeles Sparks

The LA Sparks were young and scrappy. They didn’t care that they were a big underdog heading into this special preseason game in Canada. Even when Seattle had their starters in, they were competitive and kept the game close. Their hustle and extra effort won them the game in the second half as they outscored Seattle 46-35 over the final two quarters.

“Our starters did really well. If you look at the first five minutes of the first quarter and the first five minutes of the third quarter when the starters were going against each other for both teams, I couldn’t be more pleased with how we competed and executed.” Sparks Coach Curt Miller stated.

Dearica Hamby scored a game-high 17 points on 7-9 FG in just 16 minutes of action. Thirteen of her points came in the third period where she helped the Sparks take the lead over the Storm. Both teams’ leading scorers were two hard-working moms. Mom strength is real!

After a difficult offseason last year where she was traded away from the only WNBA team she had ever played for (Las Vegas Aces) because she got pregnant; Hamby talked about her focus this offseason.

“I spent more time on my mental toughness than my basketball this offseason and I think that’s why I had so much success tonight.” Dearica Hamby said post-game.

Three starters scored in double figures. Besides Hamby, rookie Cameron Brink had 11 points and Lexie Brown added 10 more. The Sparks’ other lottery pick and player they got from the Storm’s draft pick, Rickea Jackson, added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

LA outshot Seattle 45% (29-65 FG) to 39% (28-72 FG). They also got to the free throw line more. Converting 18-20 shots from the charity stripe. Four more points than Seattle (14-17).

Game Breakdown

Skylar scored the first basket of the game with a nice floater. Lexie Brown countered with a three-pointer. Victoria Vivians hit a midrange jumper then Jewell Loyd added a three-pointer on a nice swing play to the right corner. Loyd then found Nneka Ogwumike for the jumper off the pick-and-roll to put Seattle up 9-3. After Seattle picked up a defensive technical foul, the Sparks knocked down back-to-back three-balls by Brown and Kia Nurse to put the Sparks up 13-12. Los Angeles continued their hot shooting as Nurse hit another triple in part of a 14-3 run by the Sparks. At the end of the quarter, the Storm retook the lead 26-25.

Early in the second period, Li Yuero knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to put the Sparks on top 29-28. Diggins-Smith continued to look great finding Dulcy Fankam-Mendjiadeu for an assist. SDS knocked down multiple shots, was able to get into the lane to draw a foul, and picked up multiple steals on the defensive end. Her third steal quickly resulted in a two-on-one fast break alley-oop converted by Loyd.

During that time, there was one inexcusable defensive play by the Storm where Skylar and Nneka set up a full-court trap after Diggins-Smith’s free throw. Rickea Jackson inbounded the ball and after the Storm trapped the ball it was passed back to the trailer (Jackson). Then Jackson proceeded to dribble about 80 feet straight to the rim for a layup without any Storm players picking her up on defense. I’m certain Coach Quinn wasn’t thrilled with that.

Kaela Davis came into the game midway through the second quarter and immediately gave the Storm a nice boost. She was able to draw a foul quickly and split the free throws. She then grabbed an offensive rebound saving the ball before it went out of bounds to Loyd who quickly found Russell for a jumper. Unfortunately, Davis over-extended on her defensive closeout and fouled Lexie Brown at the three-point line.

Joyner Holmes made some nice plays to finish the half. First by burying a shot from beyond the arc. And on the very next defensive possession, picking off a pass for the easy layup at the rim.

At the half, the Storm led 44-38. Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith led the way for Seattle scoring 10 points each. Joyner Holmes added nine points off the bench. That included a three-pointer and four steals. A couple of which resulted in easy fast break layups.

Los Angeles was led by the hot-shooting of Lexie Brown who scored 10 points. Kia Nurse knocked down three of her four three-point attempts in the first half and added nine points. The Sparks were incredibly sloppy. Part of that had to do with Seattle’s defensive pressure. But it also had to do with their relatively young lineup and a group of players that haven’t played a ton of games together. In total, Los Angeles had 18 turnovers in the first half.

Diggins-Smith continued to create opportunities for Seattle. She kept her dribble alive until she penetrated the paint and slipped the ball to Russell for the easy two. Cameron Brink converted at the rim getting past the defense. Brink then hit a corner three for a quick five points. Loyd and Diggins-Smith each got to the foul line for four points total. SDS then broke down the defense and scored an easy finger roll.

Skylar had another great hustle defensive play that resulted in a steal and a two-on-none fast break where she fed the ball to Holmes for an easy layup to put the Storm up 54-49 with around five minutes to go in the third.

Dearica Hamby got to work scoring 13 points in the period. She scored at the foul line, a layup in the point, and at the three-point line. A couple of plays later, she was able to tip a badly missed shot back in. During that time, the Sparks went on a 7-0 run to take a 56-54 lead.

Victoria Vivians and Sami Whitcomb hit back-to-back three-balls to help Seattle regain the lead. In the final two minutes of the third, LA’s rookies sparked another run as Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink scored the team’s final six points of the quarter. Through three, Los Angeles led 66-62.

Li Yueru knocked down a pair of free throws to begin the scoring in the final frame. Alaina Coates scored her first points of the game at the foul line as well. Zia Cooke scored four quick points, Rae Burrell got a layup, and Jackson scored on an assist to give the Sparks the largest lead of the game at 80-70 with five minutes remaining.

Whitcomb hit another triple to cut the Sparks’ lead down to five at 80-75. Sami then found Coates in the paint for the easy two after getting penetration. Jade Melbourne was able to draw a foul to cut the deficit to three at 82-79. That’s as close as Seattle could get. Both Melbourne and Kiana Williams missed three-point attempts in the final minute of the game as the Sparks held on to an 84-79 win.

Additional Analysis

The WNBA in Canada

16,655 attended the game in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Saturday night. It was the second preseason game to be played in Canada in as many years. Last season we saw the Chicago Sky play the Minnesota Lynx in front of a sold-out crowd at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto with 19,923 fans.

The Canadians were treated to a competitive game that featured WNBA All-Stars and top prospect rookies playing in their first professional game.

Coach Quinn talked about playing in front of the Canadian fans.

“Amazing, amazing! The fact that we’re here in Canada and able to bring our product to an amazing community. They weren’t just cheering for one team, they were cheering for both of us and wanted to see some good basketball and hopefully we did that.” Quinn said.

“The game is growing. From the start of the W to where we are now there has been a ton of talent. A ton of eyes on our game and a lot of success because these women put so much into their craft. The fans see that. I would love to see a team here in Canada. Not just because I have ties to Canada but because it shows that our league continues to grow and is on the right step where we need to be.” she added.

Sparks Head Coach Curt Miller echoed those statements.

“To play in front of almost 17,000 people in an exhibition game is truly special. It makes our players feel special. It’s where our game is headed. I couldn’t be more pleased in the environment that was just on display and I appreciate everything for the people that came out in Edmonton. It was just a great night for the WNBA.” Miller said.

There is no doubt women’s basketball continues to grow in popularity and that popularity is spreading to other countries. But there are some legitimate concerns before the league should actually bring a WNBA franchise to the Great White North.

The lack of charter flights is a potential gigantic problem when factoring in there would now be 20 times road teams would have to cross the border per year. There is also the potential for customs and Visa issues with certain players. Lastly, when expansion to Canada was most recently proposed, none of the new ownership groups stepped up with a solid plan. The Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment group which currently owns the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs decided against putting a bid on an upcoming WNBA franchise.

We know the WNBA is expanding to 13 teams in 2025 with the addition of the new Golden State team. We’ve been told the league would like to expand to 14 teams by 2026. I don’t think we should see the league bring a new team to Canada just yet.

Instead, they should continue to do these annual WNBA Canada games in the preseason. We could even potentially get to a point like the NFL London games. Where there isn’t an official London team in the National Football League. But every single season, at least two teams go over and play a game in London. It’s most often been the Jacksonville Jaguars as for many years they failed to draw in large sell-out crowds down in Jacksonville.

The WNBA could take a similar approach. If the Atlanta Dream or Washington Mystics are only going to play in smaller, limited-capacity arenas where they average only around 3,000-4,000 fans per game. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to move one or two of their “home” games to Canada to continue to build the WNBA brand beyond the United States.

This could eventually lead to expansion into Canada after this initial round(s) of league expansion. We may have 14 teams by 2026. Maybe they can add the team in Canada as the 16th team which could happen sometime between 2028-2032. If the projections and trajectory of the league continue to boom like we expect. The WNBA will have a significantly higher-paying Media Rights deal by then and likely can afford to charter all their teams which would solve one of the major obstacles.

The WNBA is Competitive

It was just a preseason game. And it should be noted that the starters barely played in the 2nd half. Loyd and Russell played less than three minutes. Nneka played four minutes and Skylar around five. With that said, the WNBA is a competitive league. There are no easy wins. Nothing is ever given without earning it.

“We wanted to make sure our starters got the bulk of the first-half minutes. We were able to do that. Keep them in this range that they’re in. I saw in the second unit, some really good things from Sami. We know that she’s a sniper. Whenever she’s on the floor, I try to find opportunities to give her the ball. To stretch the floor with her three-point shooting but also her ability to play-make a little bit. Sami can play with multiple players. I like what I saw from that standpoint.” Coach Quinn said after the game.

The Los Angeles Sparks, on paper, don’t look like a playoff team. But even while the Storm were playing their starters, LA was right there with them. The Storm never led by more than eight points and held just a six-point lead at the half where both teams played more of their starters. It just goes to show how competitive this league truly is.

To be honest, I’m currently having a hard time predicting which four teams are most likely to miss the playoffs this season. I would think the Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics, and Los Angeles Sparks are the most likely. But what about that fourth team? It could be the Indiana Fever but after adding Caitlin Clark to a core with Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith, and Kelsey Mitchell I feel they should probably find their way into the 7th or 8th seed. If it’s not Indiana, is it Atlanta, Phoenix, or Minnesota? Hopefully, not Seattle. The race for the final two playoff spots should be thrilling.

While it’s not a bad thing to have almost every single team in the league be competitive this is just another reason why the league is completely ready for expansion. With the amount of talent coming into the league every year and so few roster spots overall, we are now at a point where too many legit WNBA-quality players aren’t making a team. I think the league did want to bring in two expansion teams in 2025 but for now, it’ll just be the one (Golden State). There is a good chance the 14th team arrives in 2026 and per Commissioner Engelbert, the goal is to get to 16 teams before 2030.

As we saw with the New York Liberty, even the “Super Teams” on paper take a lot of time to gel and build that chemistry. It’s why the Liberty lost some games early last season that may have been surprising. The Seattle Storm, on paper, look like they should be a Top 4 team this year. But if this preseason game taught us anything, it’s that this league is so competitive there will never be games on the schedule where players can take plays off and not compete with 100% effort.

Fighting for Roster Spots

No player helped their stock more than Joyner Holmes. Holmes gave Seattle good point production off the bench scoring her 13 points on an efficient 6-9 FG shooting. She was also active on defense snatching up four steals. Several players are fighting for one maybe two spots at most. And Holmes did more than any of the other players fighting for that final spot.

Joyner’s versatility has long been a strength of her game. She has power forward size but enough shooting and ball-handling skills that she can play out on the wing. Seattle probably likes her ability to potentially play multiple positions. And the fact that she played in Coach Quinn’s system and with the team last year may give her a leg up.

The next player that likely helped their stock is a bit of an interesting choice. I say that because she didn’t even play in the game.

Nika Mühl may be a bigger winner (at least for now) in her absence. Seattle’s point guard options in 2023 were not good. The team really struggled the first season after the Sue Bird era. The brass emphasized the importance of addressing that position this off-season. And they did just that by adding Skylar Diggins-Smith in Free Agency and then again in the draft by selecting Mühl.

Mühl has looked good in practice from the little bits that I’ve seen. She’s looked comfortable bringing the ball up. She’s given instructions to her teammates. And she’s used good passing and ball movement to find her teammates for open looks at the basket.

If you missed the news, Nika was unable to travel with the team due to having Visa issues. As a non-US citizen, she was not able to easily get into the country of Canada. Because the Croatian was here playing basketball on a student Visa and is no longer a student, she had to be left behind. If you know anything about Government paperwork and approval it takes a long time to get these things approved. This wasn’t the Storm or the WNBA dropping the ball, more of just an unfortunate occurrence.

But as far as roster spots go, this game was a good example of what the team would look like if they decided to cut Mühl.

Jade Melbourne was the primary backup with Kiana Williams filling in after her. They combined for seven points on 2-10 FG shooting with two assists and two rebounds in 22 minutes. While neither player was catastrophic in their role, neither was extremely impressive either.

The Storm have been working to convert Melbourne into a point guard with some mixed results. She’s doing an excellent job in the WNBL but it hasn’t quite carried over to the WNBA level just yet. There needs to be grace because she was the youngest player in the entire league last year. And there are things she does well that we saw in this game. Probably her best skill right now is her ability to drive and slash her way to the rim. Where she can score on the drive or at least draw contact for the foul setting up free throw opportunities. I’m still waiting to see more assists and improving her ability to set up her teammates.

The good news for Jade is that she is so young. And she gives the team salary cap flexibility as she’s in just the 2nd year of her rookie-scale contract. One that is a minimum of three years and the team has the option to pick up a 4th-year option. When a team is paying top players like Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith maximum deals, it’s necessary to have other players on cheaper multi-year contracts.

Moving on, Victoria Vivians got the start in place of Jordan Horston who remains out with an ankle injury. Vivians has also been getting the most run with the first team in practices. However, I’m not sure I’ve seen enough from her to guarantee her a spot on the roster. She very well may make the final roster. But if she does, that means the team would have to cut a player like Joyner, Jade, or Dulcy instead.

Speaking of Dulcy, her offensive game is still lacking polish. She badly missed a couple of shots in this game. But also converted a layup on a beautiful pass from Diggins-Smith. She has good size and proved to be a good rebounder during her rookie season. Like Melbourne, she also affords the Storm a lot of salary cap flexibility moving forward into future seasons. The team could keep her this year and for an additional two years beyond that at a minimum WNBA salary.

Lastly, Alaina Coates and Quay Miller didn’t see any action at all in the first half which probably doesn’t bode well for them on making the final roster. With that said, I did think Coates may deserve a longer look during Tuesday’s preseason game. She finished with four points, two rebounds, and a block in 10 minutes. Her path to making the final roster probably only happens if the team cuts Fankam Mendjiadeu. But as I wrote about above, that becomes difficult due to the benefit of Dulcy's multi-year inexpensive rookie contract.

My current best guess final roster projection is this:
PG: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nika Mühl, Jade Melbourne
SG: Jewell Loyd, Sami Whitcomb
SF: Jordan Horston, Joyner Holmes
PF: Nneka Ogwumike, Dulcy Fankam-Mendjiadeu
C: Ezi Magbegor, Mercedes Russell

Up Next

The Seattle Storm play their final preseason game this upcoming Tuesday, May 7th, at 7:00 PM against the Phoenix Mercury at Climate Pledge Arena. From there final rosters will need to be decided.

Notes:
Photo Credits to Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
Thanks for all the great support! Please tell other Storm fans about my coverage.
This full game recap article will made free and available to everyone as an example of what my coverage is like throughout the season. If you want full game recap articles and additional content before others, please become a paid subscriber.

Follow my Twitter (@WNBAStormChaser)
Follow me on Threads (@WNBAStormChasers)
Follow me on BlueSky (@wnbastormchasers.bsky.social)