Storm Let One Slip Away, Lose 78-67

A 4th quarter collapse ruined an otherwise great game by Seattle.

(Las Vegas, Nevada) - The Seattle Storm played a terrific game on the road through the first 30 minutes. They weren’t perfect but their defense was excellent and they were doing enough on offense to maintain a small lead throughout the game. They got off to a great start outscoring the Aces 18-9 in the first period. Despite runs by Las Vegas, Seattle did enough to stay on top through the majority of the game. They led by one point entering the 4th quarter. That’s when everything fell apart. It was a complete and total collapse over the game’s final 10 minutes. The Storm finished the final period without a single made shot (0-12 FG) and scored just two points. Las Vegas outscored Seattle 14-2 in the 4th quarter to win the game 78-67.

Nneka Ogwumike said the team was exhausted after the game.

“I think they had a fire and we gassed out. I think we didn't step up. We didn't step up the energy in that fourth quarter. There are many reasons, but with a team like that, you can't… there's no way you're winning the game with a two-point quarter.” Ogwumike said.

Coach Quinn gave her explanation of what happened.

“The MVP, MVP'd. There's not a lot that you can do about that. Those are some contested shots. She's the MVP for a reason. I thought that Hayes got loose in the first (half). I thought that our defensive effort was there. You can't have a two-point quarter. Period.” Coach Quinn said after the game.

The Storm finished with four players scoring in double figures. Skylar Diggins-Smith led the team with 16 points. She also had a team-high eight assists and four rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Gabby finished with 14 points, her 6th game in a row in double figures. She also had eight rebounds. Jordan Horston added 10 points off the bench on 75% (3-4 FG) shooting and a perfect 4-4 FT.

Seattle out-rebounded Las Vegas 40-33. They also had the edge in offensive rebounds 10-6. That included more second-chance points where the Storm outscored the Aces 14-6 in that category.

Both Seattle and Las Vegas were perfect from the Free Throw Line. The “Miss Twice, Get a Slice” fans in Las Vegas were very disappointed that Seattle made 13-13 Free Throws. The Aces were nearly as good converting 11-11 FT. Both teams were even in transition each scoring 11 points on the fast break. Las Vegas had the smallest edge in assists at 16-15.

Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas had four players score in double figures just as Seattle did. However, the Aces had two players with 20 points or more. A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 21 points. She also tied Kiah Stokes for a team-high eight rebounds. Wilson also had five blocked shots and did a great job of protecting the paint.

Tiffany Hayes was the catalyst for Las Vegas on a night where Kelsey Plum was held to just two points. Hayes finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and five steals off the bench.

“She was able to get to her left hand. And it's difficult when she's able to hit the three as well. So now you're wanting to play certain gaps on her and it becomes pick your poison at that juncture, especially when she is in rhythm. And I thought that we were not physical enough. She was getting downhill and getting paint points for the Aces. She was a big culprit of that.” Coach Quinn stated.

Playoff Chelsea Gray showed up to torment Seattle again. Gray cost Sue Bird and the Storm a chance at a 5th WNBA title in 2022 and she did plenty of damage again in Game 1 of the 2024 playoffs. Gray finished with 16 points on 50% FG shooting and a team-high seven assists. She hit a few more crucial shots that helped either keep the Aces in the game early or change the momentum later on.

Jackie Young was inefficient but still finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Las Vegas outshot the Storm 44% (30-69 FG) to 37% (25-68 FG). They were also better from the three-point range converting 39% (7-18 FG) compared to just 25% (4-16 FG) for Seattle. The Aces forced Seattle into 14 turnovers while committing only nine themselves. They outscored Seattle 40-30 down low inside the paint. The Aces’s reserves also outscored Seattle’s bench 27-10. Most of that damage was done by Hayes and her 20 points.

Game Breakdown

The Seattle Storm got off to a great start especially defensively. They jumped out to a 9-3 lead nearly five minutes into the first period. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Mercedes Russell scored all nine of those points. Jewell Loyd and A’ja Wilson exchanged baskets after that.

The Storm took an 11-point lead at 18-7 after Nneka Ogwumike made a short jumper. Chelsea Gray was fouled at the end of the quarter and made both free throws. Seattle led 18-9 through the first quarter. Seattle limited Las Vegas to just 2-18 FG. Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Storm with seven points after one.

Las Vegas turned things around in the second quarter. They scored 29 points on 10-14 FG. Tiffany Hayes scored 12 points in the period as the Aces rallied and took the lead. Hayes connected on a three-pointer to put Las Vegas ahead 31-27. Jordan Horston and Gabby Williams scored back-to-back baskets as Seattle regained the lead.

Jackie Young and Nneka Ogwumike swapped made three-point baskets. It felt like Seattle was able to answer the Aces every time Las Vegas tried to go on a big run. After a couple of free throws from Alysha Clark and a layup from Jackie Young, the Storm got four free throws from Jordan Horston and Mercedes Russell. That put Seattle up 42-38 at the end of the first half.

Las Vegas outscored Seattle 29-24 and shot 71% in the 2nd quarter. Alysha Clark scored all seven of her points in the period. Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray each added five more.

Seattle also shot the ball well. They made 60% of their shots as Nneka Ogwumike and Jordan Horston combined for 17 of the team’s 24 points in the second period. Gabby Williams added five points as well.

Gabby Williams and A’ja Wilson scored two baskets each to begin the third period. Jewell Loyd made a three-pointer that put Seattle up 49-42. That was the largest lead Seattle would hold in the second half of the game. Unfortunately, it didn’t last as the Aces had the answer.

That answer came in the form of A’ja Wilson who scored 15 of her 21 points in the third period. After limiting Wilson to just four points in the first half, she exploded to make seven field goals in the quarter.

A layup from Jackie Young, a jumper from A’ja Wilson, and a pair of free throws by Chelsea Gray put the Aces back ahead 58-57. Gabby countered with a triple. Tiffany Hayes tied the game back up. A’ja hit another jumper. Skylar Diggins-Smith was able to convert a strong drive to the rim through contact for the AND1.

Horston scored on a jumper and then was fouled on the next possession where she made two more free throws. Hayes got inside for a layup. At the end of the third period, Seattle clung to a one-point lead at 65-64.

Las Vegas opened the 4th quarter by missing their first five field goal attempts. That would have been the perfect moment for the Storm to extend their lead to 6-10 points. Instead, Seattle missed all of their shots. Literally. The Storm went the entire 4th period without making a single field goal attempt. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like that before.

Seattle finished the quarter 0-12 FG. They managed to score just two points on a pair of Skylar Diggins-Smith free throws. Needless to say, they did not win the game.

Las Vegas wasn’t great in the 4th quarter either. They scored just 14 points after totaling 55 points over the second and third periods. They made 7-18 FG attempts. No player did any sizeable damage. Chelsea Gray and Tiffany Hayes led the way with four points each.

After leading for the vast majority of the first three quarters, the Storm were outscored 14-2 over the final two minutes and blew an excellent opportunity to steal game one of their playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces. Vegas won the game 78-67.

Gabby Williams was stunned when talking to the media after the game.

“I think we're just going to have to go back and watch film and see what worked and see what didn't, see where we got. It's hard to think about it right now, and I'm still kind of in shock for that fourth quarter. But we'll see what worked. We'll see what didn't. Obviously, there was a way we were getting shots in the first quarter that we weren't in the fourth. So we're going to see what was different.” Williams answered.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

Around the W: Playoffs

New York Liberty 83 - Atlanta Dream 69

Rookie Leonie Fiebich scored 21 points to lead the New York Liberty. She made 4-4 FG from beyond the arc. Breanna Stewart added the game’s only double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu added 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 10 points and five assists.

The Atlanta Dream had just two players score in double figures. Rhyne Howard led her team with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Tina Charles added 12 points and seven rebounds. No other players scored in double figures.

This game was never close. New York led 27-9 late in the first period and never trailed. They led by as many as 22 points in the game. The Liberty lead the series 1-0.

Connecticut Sun 93 - Indiana Fever 69

Marina Mabrey came off the bench to ignite the Sun with a game-high 27 points. She hit five three-pointers in the game. Alyssa Thomas had another triple-double. She finished with 12 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner was excellent scoring 22 points on 64% field goal shooting. She also had six rebounds and five assists. DiJonai Carrington added 14 points and five rebounds to round out the best players for Connecticut.

Kelsey Mitchell led the Indiana Fever in scoring with 21 points. Aliyah Boston had a double-double for the Fever with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Damiris Dantas added 12 points off the bench. Caitlin Clark, in her first career playoff game, struggled a lot. She finished with 11 points and a team-high eight assists. However, Clark finished 4-17 FG from the floor and made just two of her 13 three-point FG attempts.

Indiana was able to keep the game relatively close throughout the first half. They trailed by just three points at the end of the first quarter (23-20). The Fever took the lead 36-34 with less than four minutes to play in the first half. However, the Sun ended the 2nd period on a 12-2 run. Connecticut led by 11 heading into the 4th quarter and blew the game wide open by outscoring Indiana 25-12 over the final 10 minutes.

Minnesota Lynx 102 - Phoenix Mercury 95

Napheesa Collier played like an absolute superstar leading Minnesota with 38 points, six rebounds, and four assists. The MVP runner-up carried her team to victory in Game 1 of their playoff matchup against the Phoenix Mercury.

Kayla McBride added 20 points including three shots made from beyond the arc. Bridget Carleton contributed with 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Carleton also hit a corner three with 39 seconds left in the game to put Minnesota on top by six. It was a one-possession game with under a minute to play and she helped seal the victory for Minnesota.

Myisha Hines-Allen was effective off the bench. She scored 10 points on 4-6 FG shooting. She also had five rebounds and three assists. Hines-Allen was a sneaky good late addition at the trade deadline for the Lynx.

Natasha Cloud had another incredible playoff game. She finished with a team-high 33 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. She nearly willed the Mercury to an upset victory in Game 1 of the playoffs. Diana Taurasi proved that age is just a number as she scored 21 points including five made three-pointers on 50% (8-16 FG) shooting overall. Kahleah Copper was solid with 16 points and four rebounds. Brittney Griner added 10 points, six rebounds, and a couple of blocks.

Similar to Seattle, I feel Phoenix is going to regret not stealing Game 1 when they led in the 4th quarter and had the upset within their grasp.

Injury Concerns

Sue Bird has said in the past that when Seattle was able to win their four WNBA Championships, a lot of that came down to health at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. When they were healthy and had the talent, they got to the Finals and every time Bird and the Storm got there, they won.

But we also know how injuries can derail everything. Breanna Stewart’s torn Achilles in 2019 and again at the end of the 2021 season likely cost Seattle another Championship. There is a pretty good chance that if Bird and Stewart were healthy in 2019, the Storm win that title as well. That means they would have gone back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 and then completed a three-peat in 2020. I’m not as confident about 2021, as the Storm had already moved on from (or lost) key players like Natasha Howard, Alysha Clark, and Sami Whitcomb. But if Stewie was healthy for the 2021 playoffs, they would have still had a solid chance to compete for a title.

Well, unfortunately, Seattle finds themselves again in the playoffs without a full deck of cards. Ezi Magbegor suffered a concussion roughly 10 days ago and has missed the last four games including Sunday’s playoff game against the Aces. The hope is that she’ll be ready to go for Game 2 on Tuesday. But concussions are nothing to rush a player back from and sometimes they can take a few weeks if not months to recover from. Seattle has 48 hours. If Magbegor is going to play, she’ll need to be cleared and ready to go soon.

It would be difficult enough to face the two-time defending champions without Ezi. But Jewell Loyd is clearly still hobbled by her knee injury. Loyd missed the final three games of the regular season before the playoffs with the injury. She returned to play in this game but looked like a shell of her former self. Loyd finished with six points on 2-8 FG shooting. She was not nearly as aggressive penetrating and attacking the rim. And when she did, it felt like she avoided contact and took off-balanced shots without any chance of them going in. It also felt like Jewell got beat defensively multiple times throughout the game. When Las Vegas made their runs, it looked like they were scoring against Loyd. Tiffany Hayes scored 12 of her 20 points in the 2nd quarter.

If Seattle has any chance to beat the Las Vegas Aces they’ll need a lot more from Jewell Loyd. And if the injuries are limiting what she can do on offense and turning her into a liability on the defensive end, then Coach Quinn should give more of her minutes to Jordan Horston or Sami Whitcomb.

Some Positives

Despite the frustrations. Despite the 4th quarter collapse. Despite the injuries and issues, Seattle is dealing with. They did play a winnable game on the road against the two-time defending WNBA Champions. Their defense limited the Aces to under 80 points. They held A’ja Wilson to just 21 points on just 43% FG shooting and under double-digit rebounds. The Storm’s defense held Kelsey Plum to just two points with one made field goal in eight attempts. They even limited Jackie Young to 12 points on 38% shooting. All of those things could have led to a Seattle Storm upset victory in Game 1.

Outside of Jewell, Seattle’s other four starters all played quite well overall. Nneka Ogwumike was held scoreless in the 2nd half and that’s a big reason why the Storm lost this game. But she was incredible in the first half and that was a big reason Seattle led throughout the first 20 minutes of the game. Ogwumike still finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Both Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins-Smith weren’t as efficient as they could have been but both produced good numbers. Gabby finished with 14 points, her 6th game in a row in double figures. She also had eight rebounds. Diggins-Smith led the team in scoring (16) and assists (8).

“I'm not putting this game to the side, not at all. There's obviously a lot of things that we need to learn from this game. So like I said, we're going to watch this game. We're going to watch every minute, every second. We're going to see what went wrong. We did do a lot of positive things. So how can we build on that as well? So no, we're absolutely not putting this game to the side.” Gabby told the media.

Mercedes Russell played an excellent game for the Storm. She finished with eight points and 12 rebounds. More importantly, I thought her defense on A’ja Wilson was terrific. Despite Wilson eventually getting her numbers in the 2nd half, Wilson was held to just four points on 1-8 FG shooting in the first half. A lot of Wilson’s 12 missed field goal attempts happened when Mercedes Russell was guarding her. Nobody can stop A’ja Wilson. She’s the best player in the world right now. But Mercedes’s size, strength, and length do seem to bother Wilson a little bit.

Even if Magbegor can play on Tuesday in Game 2, I feel the Storm should find ways to have Mercedes defend A’ja as much as possible.

Lastly, Jordan Horston played well in her first career playoff game. She came off the bench and was really impressive offensively, picking her moments to score. The fact that she made all four of her free throw attempts with so much pressure in a big game like this, was good to see.

Horston is out there for her defense. If she can limit Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, or Kelsey Plum it’ll play a huge role in giving Seattle a chance to win a game. But if she can score on top of that, she should be rewarded with more minutes and more opportunities.

Gabby complimented Jordan’s play after the game.

“I mean, she showed a lot of growth today. Being able to be big in those moments is the first playoff game ever and I thought she had a lot of clutch moments in a game where we are down people. Where the starters are playing a lot of minutes. It's huge for us to just have that burst of energy off the bench and I thought she was on her role today. I thought she did what she needed to do and I think this is going to give her a lot of confidence going into game two.” Williams stated.

Up Next

The Las Vegas Aces (1-0) host the Seattle Storm (0-1) for Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs on Tuesday, September 24th at 6:30 PM. It is a must-win for Seattle. If they lose, their season is over and the Las Vegas Aces will advance to the WNBA Semi-Finals. If the Storm can pull off the upset, the deciding Game 3 would take place in Seattle on Thursday.

Coach Quinn knows it’s win or go home now.

“You have to have short-term memory. The only thing that we can do with such a short turnaround is to get better through film and address certain things in that capacity. This one's over. We are in a situation where it's do or die. Do we extend the series? Or do we go home? And so there is some reality to prioritizing rest a little bit. We have players playing big minutes. But this one, we have to wash off our backs. Once we see the film, get better from the film, our focus is on Tuesday.” She said.

Notes:
Photo Credits to Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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