Storm Defeat Aces 102-82 Part 2

Additional thoughts and interview quotes from Seattle's win.

The Seattle Storm put forth an incredibly impressive performance during their 102-82 victory over the Las Vegas Aces. You can read the full game recap here. In Part 2, I wrote about what this victory meant for Coach Noelle Quinn, discussed how Jewell Loyd’s hot start may have benefited Seattle, the importance of the Alysha Clark signing, post-game press conference interviews (audio and written) with Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, and Coach Quinn, and Storm Chaser exclusive short-form interviews with Magbegor and rookie Dominique Malonga.

Redemption for Quinn

Coach Noelle Quinn has struggled mightily against Coach Becky Hammon and the Las Vegas Aces since Hammon took over in 2022. To be fair, a lot of teams have struggled against them as Hammon led Las Vegas to back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2022 and 2023. However, it’s been complete and utter domination for Hammon and the Aces against Seattle. Since 2022, Las Vegas has beaten Seattle 10 times in 12 regular-season games. The Aces are also 5-1 in the playoffs against Seattle, dating back to Hammon’s hire in 2022. Per the Storm broadcast, the Aces had won 12 out of their last 13 games against Seattle (including playoffs).

Even if you take out the 2023 season, where Seattle was expected to struggle after losing both Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. The Aces have still outpaced the Storm considerably, even when Seattle was a playoff contender in 2022 and 2024.

But in this game, Coach Quinn pressed all the right buttons. Quinn’s team was excellent on both sides of the court. They were extremely efficient on offense, shooting 68% (23-34 FG) in the first half and 60% (42-70 FG) overall. The Storm were smothering on defense, forcing 13 turnovers and scoring 21 points off those mistakes.

Quinn also did a great job utilizing her bench. While the blowout certainly helped this, Erica Wheeler and Zia Cooke each got a decent run in the first half. And by the end of the game, Seattle had played all 10 of their players with three reserves playing over 10 minutes each (Wheeler, Malonga, and Cooke).

Knowing how much Quinn’s Storm have struggled against Hammon’s Aces, I asked Noelle what this type of performance meant to her and how rewarding it was to see her team execute so well on both ends of the court.

“A lot of times, the Aces are measuring sticks throughout the season because they're a well-oiled machine and they have so much firepower at every position. For me, I am proud of the group for. A, we didn't have (practice) – we just had a video session and a walkthrough, so showing up prepared and ready to play a tough team, but also their attention to scout detail. Again, when I'm coming to the timeout and the huddles, they're automatically talking and communicating through things. So to have a win like this, this early, it's good to grow from, good to see where we can be and who we can be against top teams in this league,” Quinn told me.

Loyd’s Early Success…

Jewell Loyd found early success in this game. Everything that makes Loyd elite was on display. She was sharp from distance, making all three of her three-point field goals. Loyd also showed her elite dribbling skills, weaving through two defenders, drawing a foul, and converting an off-balanced circus shot. Loyd led all scorers with 12 points after the first 10 minutes of play.

However, I have to wonder if this actually benefited Seattle. Loyd was so hot early that she was the primary focus of the Aces’ offense in the first period. While Seattle did an excellent job defensively against A’ja Wilson, I didn’t feel that Las Vegas was feeding her or trying to help A’ja score or get into a good rhythm early. I truly believe this is one of the main reasons A’ja had such a lackluster game (by her standards). Wilson scored just two points in the opening quarter, and I don’t think it was a coincidence that the Storm led by 14 points.

Wilson is a dominant player. She is elite at getting other players into foul trouble and getting to the free throw line. And once she starts to control a game, it frees all of her teammates open for easy looks. With Loyd being so hot early, it took the Aces away from their best player and away from what they do so well.

Beyond that, we know that Jewell is not the most efficient player. While I’ve always believed she’s the better player, she does share a lot of similarities with another famous Notre Dame guard, Arike Ogunbowale. Loyd started the game 4-5 FG shooting from the floor. But she finished 4-15 FG. Jewell missed her final 10 shot attempts in the game, including going 0-5 from three-point range after the first period.

A little side note, I was very happy to see Jewell receive a short tribute video before the start of this game. Loyd received a loud ovation from the Storm crowd as she waved to the fans. It’s also interesting because Breanna Stewart notably complained online about not receiving a special tribute video after leaving Seattle for New York.

AC’s Impact

This is why the Storm signed Alysha Clark. Almost every Storm fan was thrilled when the team announced this off-season that they were bringing Alysha Clark back. However, there are some fans who believe the team overpaid. And it can be a logical argument to make. It has nothing to do with what Clark deserves to be paid. It has everything to do with the WNBA’s salary cap. Signing Clark to a $185,000 contract and Gabby Williams to a $225,000 max deal are the primary reasons why Seattle was unable to roster 12 players this season. That became more problematic after Katie Lou Samuelson tore her ACL in practice right before the season started.

The argument I have made and was proven correct, at least for this first game against Las Vegas, was that by signing Clark back to Seattle, not only was Seattle adding an excellent three-point shooter, veteran, and defender, but it was more than that. The Storm weren’t just getting a player who could help them. They were also taking that player directly away from the Las Vegas Aces. The team that has eliminated them from the playoffs in two out of the last three seasons.

Clark had an excellent game against her former team. She finished with nine points. She hit a corner three right in front of her former head coach, Becky Hammon. As I rewatched the TV copy, you could see Hammon scream for her defense to rotate out to cover Clark before Alysha buried the triple.

AC also spent time pretty much guarding everyone. I saw her defending Jewell, Jackie, A’ja, and Kiah Stokes. She probably covered Chelsea Gray at some point. That would be the Aces’ entire starting lineup.

This is also critical because it gives the Storm one more additional defensive weapon to use against teams. Gabby and Ezi already make things difficult for most opponents. Now they also have to deal with being defended by Clark, too.

And this is important, but by signing Clark back to Seattle, it also means the Aces lost a key defensive piece to their championship team. If she had re-signed with Las Vegas, which I’m sure was a legitimate consideration for her, then she would have been helping Vegas limit Seattle.

If you’re one of the fans who felt the Storm overpaid for Alysha Clark, look at the ripple effect it had on this game against Las Vegas. It’ll be something to watch again when the Aces return to Seattle on June 1st. And throughout the season, as the Storm’s defense looks to hold down the rest of the superstars of the WNBA.

Dom and Ezi Interviews

My hope for this season, if given the access and opportunity, is to do more of these personal interviews with the players beyond just the post-game press conferences. I was able to interview Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga very briefly for a couple of minutes during warm-ups. Below is the Q&A from those interviews.

Malonga’s Interview

Q: Obviously, coming into the WNBA, there is so much to learn, new offensive and defensive systems. Is it similar to what you’ve learned with the French team?

Malonga: “I would say it is a lot (to learn) because it’s more about the terminology and the timing here, but once I got that, it became easier because I’ve played pro ball for four years now. I’m kind of used to having a lot of information, and I also have help from people around me, and everybody’s talking to me, helping me.”

Q: Is there any specific thing that coaches want you to focus on to start your WNBA career?

Malonga: “Yeah, for sure. The defensive aspect, of course, because that’s where we need to be physical, match the physicality. And then just bring what I can bring on offense. That means how I can run the floor. I can be good in spacing and everything like that. They aren’t asking much from me for now, but just when I play.”

Q: What are you learning from Ezi and Nneka so far?

Malonga: “I’ve learned a lot from them. Just watching them play, they have a really good game. They have really good advice for me as a post player for, I don’t know how many seasons, maybe 15 seasons (referring to Nneka), so I’ve been watching them and gaining a lot of experience.”

Magbegor’s interview

Q: It’s been a little slower start offensively for you. Can you attribute that to anything?

Magbegor: “No, I think, it’s just on me at the end of the day. I think I can do a better job of being more aggressive. But just let the offense come to me. I’m not trying to force anything. So, just hope to get a better flow of the game.”

Q: You have been so busy with Euro, WNBA, Olympics, back to Euro, etc. How do you stay well-rested?

Magbegor: “I think rest is really important. Obviously, with the life that we live, we don’t get a lot of rest. When you do have those moments, whether it’s a week, two weeks, a month … just learning how to capitalize on that and just finding moments during the season to rest and recover as well.”

Q: You talked about being aggressive. Against Phoenix, there were a few moments where you were really intentional and aggressive. I think you scored every single time that I saw that. Is it just a matter of needing to be more aggressive, or is there like a balance of when you maybe don’t need to be as aggressive?

Magbegor: “No, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with aggressiveness, like I said, finding the moments and not forcing anything, but just reading the game well. I know it’s never a bad thing as long as I’m aggressive, whether it’s defense, offense, if it’s aggressive, I think my teammates and the coaches are going to be happy about that.”

Q: What have you seen from Dom Malonga so far? Even if it’s just in practices.

Magbegor: “Just how much she enjoys the game and wants to learn. I think that’s something I really think is important, just to be a sponge of the game. Obviously, we’ve seen her athleticism, so just being able to see her get better and better every day.”

Q: One of the biggest standout defensive plays against Phoenix was when you and Dom were on the court together, and you forced a 24-second shot clock violation. You made Satou and Alyssa Thomas very hesitant. What is it like to play with someone who is tall and lengthy like yourself? And how can she help you and vice versa?

Magbegor: “Yeah, I think it just helps with defensive spacing, and knowing, especially with the guards that they’ve got two of us now down there to clean up shots. But obviously for me as well, knowing that I’ve got her to help. Length helps as well, so whether we’re on the perimeter or in the key, just using our length to our advantage.”

Q: What are the keys to the game and against A’ja Wilson?

Magbegor: “Just be physical. I think it’s going to take team defense for sure. But just be on our front foot, start well, and be good throughout all four quarters.”

Player Interviews

Was this a statement win? And overall thoughts on the team’s performance against Las Vegas.

“I mean, I think that Vegas is the type of team where they're gonna get everybody's best game. We wanted to give our best while also building our own foundation. So being able to feel this type of connection early feels good. It's not where we want to land necessarily. And that's not necessarily to say that it's indicative of the score or anything. It was more so about how we play today. We wanted to string together four quarters, especially after the last game versus Phoenix. And I think we did a better job of that today. And I feel good about where we are this early on, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Nneka Ogwumike said.

On the team’s 32 assists and ball movement.

“That’s what we pride ourselves on is team basketball. When we just flow and get into our offense, we know that anyone on the floor can score one through 10. And so if someone's open, just being able to feed them, sharing the ball, making the other team guard us. And I think that's when we play our best basketball.” Ezi Magbegor answered.

On the team’s defense and limiting A’ja Wilson to 15 points.

“Yeah, I mean, I think that started with Nneka. Obviously, that was her matchup to start the game. Just a great first quarter. And I think with us, when someone's in that zone defensively, we don't want to let them down. So Nneka's doing the work in the first quarter, and then we have to kind of hold everyone else to that standard as well. So yeah, definitely starting with Nneka, and then just being able to follow through and help her out. As with sharing the basketball, I think defensively, that's our game as well. So just being able to hold teams to our goals per quarter and then just go from there.” Magbegor told me.

On the importance of rebounding the basketball and accomplishing that team goal.

“Well, I mean, you know, we want to be able to come in and play transition D and quarter-court defense, but it is really meaningless if you don’t seal it with a rebound. And I think that was the point of emphasis in the first three games, even in the ones that we won, teams were out-rebounding us, and so we wanted to be able to capitalize on that. And when you think rebounding, you think bigs, but I'd like to really give kudos to our guards. I think they did a really good job of securing the rebounds that we can't necessarily get to, especially with a team that shoots threes and makes threes. Those long rebounds are the ones that really make a difference when you're thinking about possessions in a game. So the team rebounding is kind of the point of emphasis for us, and we have to we can't let up on that at all,” Ogwumike responded.

On Erica Wheeler’s big performance off the bench.

“Yeah, we obviously love having E here in Seattle. She brings the energy off the court, but I think you were able to see that tonight. She leads, we follow. So offensively, she had a great game, but that's her every practice. You know, she definitely stays aggressive. You know, when she gets downhill, she made a few threes tonight. So I think just being able to have her come off the bench, be that spark, especially with the starters, too, she's in our ear all the time. And so just for her to be able to sustain that throughout all four quarters was great. Yeah, she's a great player and person,” Magbegor stated.

On Nneka passing Candace Parker for 9th place in the WNBA’s All-Time Scoring List.

“You know, I played a majority of my career with CP, and, you know, when you think about your first years, you're not really thinking about these milestones, if they happen, when they happen. And I don't take them lightly at all. But I wouldn't be able to do that without a player like CP. So I hope that she knows that I gave her her flowers when she was setting an example for me. And today, it hits home a little bit more because I followed her lead. And I want to continue to carry on that championship legacy that I learned from her here in Seattle as well.” Ogwumike said.

On the Las Vegas Aces having Seattle’s number of late, and how important it was to have such an impressive victory against a team like that.

“I might have a different mindset. I see every team as that team. And I think when it comes to Vegas, there's a different level of respect given their recent history and winning and legacy. So today was Sunday. We had a game at 3, and it was Las Vegas. So we had to come ready. And we approach each game every night that way. Everyone might have a different perspective, but for me, I just knew that today was a day that we had to win to continue to build to where we want to go,” Ogwumike answered.

On Dominique Malonga’s performance.

“You know, every day is like different for Dom. She does something else that we're like, Oh, okay. And she is in tune. She is a very smart person, a very smart player. You can tell that she soaks everything in, and she wants to go out and do the right thing. But I think she also wants to go out and have fun. And so we want to make it so for her that going out there and doing what she does on defense, of course, understanding herself in space and being DOM-inant in the paint. I had to do it (laughs). But I think every day is some level of improvement or some level of evolution. And you can tell that at least I feel like she's watching us. And so the onus is on us to also do things the right way so she can be in a great position to succeed here,” Nneka told me.

Coach’s Quotes

Overall thoughts on the game

“Yeah, I'm very proud of the group to come out with the energy and the focus to have a 34-point quarter. It wasn't just the offense, it was the defense and igniting the crowd and the energy that it created. And one of the things that I'm proud of is that it didn't taper off. We were commanding from the beginning, and I thought that through our rotations and through parts of the game, we really stayed sharp. And the focus of today was just continuing to build good days. Be better than we were the game before. And I think we showed that we can, we showed our potential, what we can do on both ends of the floor today,” Coach Noelle Quinn said.

How does the energy affect the transition game and finishing?

“There's good energy and there's bad energy. So good energy allows us to really be connected, utilize our physicality, our athleticism, and generate easy points in transition. Good energy allows us to just play freely. And I think this group is showing that they're committed to each other. They're really bought in. You see what happens when we hit some shots, but also the prowess that we have on the defensive end of the floor that really helps tremendously, helps our offense tremendously.”

Is it tough to stay disciplined when there are a lot of emotions with a returning player like Jewell?

“The focus today was us. It was the Storm versus the Aces, and we knew we were playing a very good team. You know, we have vets in the room who have been in different types of environments. So I think our theme last game was the discipline. And if we're talking about getting better, I don't think there was any drop off in that. The focus remains us, how we want to get better, how we want to grow through our systems. And that's what the group is committed to.”

On the importance of team rebounding and getting rebounds from players besides the post players.

“34 to 25, I think, that speaks volumes, especially with the team, like the Aces, who are very physical, and a lot of what they do in the paint puts pressure on the rim. I have been harping on rebounding with our group, not just from our post players, but for our guards, and not just even the defensive rebounds. We're trying to get some extra possessions offensively. I think we did that today as well. So that's going to continue to be a key emphasis because this is an area that we need to continue to grow in. And I think it's a commitment from everyone who's on the floor to be fundamental, box out, be physical, and go pursue rebounds.”

Her thoughts on Dominique Malonga’s performance off the bench and if she thought Dom was going to dunk on that transition basket.

“I for sure did. She kind of fumbled it a little bit, but it was coming for sure if she caught it clean. I thought Dom was excellent in her minutes. I saw a good matchup with her and Kitley, I think. I've talked about this for a couple of days. Dom is going to have to grow within games. And if I can find, without a lot of practice time, if I can find those moments for her, I will. She's very smart. She picks up concepts. And she's a capable defender and room protector. But also, you can kind of see what she can do in space. So I was super proud of her, excited for her, the three, something that we've seen in practice. I know she can take it and hit it. So it's about the process of development with her, and she's locked into that.”

On Erica Wheeler’s performance and the keys to Seattle being so efficient on offense.

“I think that lineup, first and foremost, we talked about having vets defensively, what they can do to generate some steals, and just the energy level that we need to play with. Erica allows Sky to play off the ball, even defensively. And just another playmaker in a different area of the floor when we get to next actions, or even initiating our offense. So, again, just gives us another offensive look that, especially when teams are going small, I think we can now match up according to how teams are playing, if they have big posts or if they have guards on the floor as well,” Quinn stated.

Notes:
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