Storm Season Ends in Las Vegas

Seattle lost 83-76 to the Aces and have been eliminated from the playoffs.

(Las Vegas, Nevada) - The Seattle Storm played another competitive game against the two-time defending Champions, but it wasn’t enough. Las Vegas had an answer every time Seattle tried to take the lead. Once again, this game was there for the taking in the 4th quarter. In both playoff games, the Storm had a one-point lead against the Aces with less than 10 minutes to play. But they couldn’t stop Las Vegas when it mattered the most. While their 4th quarter performance was much better in Game 2, their 19 points weren’t enough to overcome the deficit they put themselves in early on. Seattle trailed by 16 points in the first quarter and trailed 30-20 at the end of the period. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t topple the champs. Las Vegas moves on to the semifinals after beating Seattle 83-76. The Aces will rematch against the New York Liberty who eliminated the Atlanta Dream earlier on Tuesday evening.

Coach Quinn talked about her team’s slow start.

“The aggressive level of Plum and A’ja were very evident. The threes… they got loose in transition. I always say this, I would have to take a look at the film to see what we're doing offensively, but I just felt like we were a little bit on our heels defensively. But to cut into that lead and to eventually we went up one at one point. That says a lot about our resiliency. But our starts have been our Achilles heel since the break. And as you can see, you can't spot a team like that 30 in the quarter.” Quinn said.

The Storm were led by Gabby Williams who continued her streak of excellent play. Gabby scored 20 points on 50% (8-16 FG) shooting. She also had five rebounds and played excellent defense on Jackie Young holding Young to nine points on 30% shooting. This was the 7th game in a row where Gabby scored in double figures. It was also the 9th time in the past ten games.

I spoke with Gabby after the game about how she was able to finish the season on such a strong note.

“My teammates have been so encouraging and have given me a lot of confidence since I've been here. I felt like I had a good thing going last year, but then obviously broke my foot. But I feel like I've had a good rhythm with Seattle for a while. In my first year here, I felt like at the end it was starting to click at the right time and then I got concussed. So I think a big part of it is just the people that I'm surrounded with while I'm here. Luckily, I was able to stay healthy to the end of this season, and I think that played a big part into it. But they have a lot of confidence in me. They know me very well. They know what I need to get better. We have the resources that we need with our practice facility for me to be in all the time. So they spend a lot of time with me, and I think that helps.” Williams answered.

Both Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith struggled with their efficiency in this game. They combined to make just 10-34 FG. However, they both brought the fight and effort. Ogwumike finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Diggins-Smith also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Skylar finished with a 10/1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Incredible.

Ezi Magbegor returned from her concussion and played quite well. She finished with 14 points on 60% (6-10 FG) shooting. She also had seven rebounds. Unfortunately, Magbegor disappeared in the 2nd half. She took just one shot and scored two points over the game’s final 20 minutes. Ezi scored most of her points in the first period. Without her, the Storm likely would have trailed by 15-20 points as she was the only one who could score in the opening frame.

As is standard with most playoff games, Coach Quinn shortened her rotation. But in a win-or-go-home scenario, it was notable that Sami Whitcomb, Victoria Vivians, and Joyner Holmes all sat on the bench for the entire game. That may have been different had the Storm not dug themselves a 16-point hole to start the game. It also may be an indication of some roster changes heading into next season.

Mercedes Russell and Jordan Horston were the only bench players to play and they both got around 15 minutes. They each scored just one basket. Horston did have two blocks and three steals.

Las Vegas Aces

This is why Seattle had to steal Game 1. Kelsey Plum was very sick and scored just two points in that first game. She returned with a vengeance and scored a game-high 29 points. She had it going from the opening quarter where she scored five points within the first minute of the game. Plum was a perfect 9-9 FG on her 2 PT field goal attempts in the game. She finished 11-15 FG overall and also had six rebounds and three assists.

After Seattle did a pretty good job of keeping A’ja Wilson to a sub-average game for her (21 points on low 40% shooting and less than 10 rebounds), they weren’t as effective on Tuesday. I have to wonder if that’s because Wilson can bully the skinny-framed Magbegor a bit more than Mercedes Russell. Wilson finished shooting above 50% and had 13 rebounds.

Chelsea Gray put on a similar performance to Game 1. There were moments where she was feeling herself. Namely in that opening quarter when she made a couple of incredible passes and brought out the “rolling camera” taunt.

Jackie Young struggled again on offense but did a lot of other great things. She finished with nine points, nine rebounds, and five assists. And while Tiffany Hayes didn’t take over the game like she did in Game 1, she still had a big impact off the bench scoring all of the Aces’s bench points (nine).

Overall, Las Vegas outplayed Seattle. They played a much better game in Game 2 compared to Game 1. They outshot the Storm 47% (31-66 FG) to 39% (29-75 FG). They were a plus-four at the free throw line knocking down 14-16 FT. They dominated Seattle on the glass, out-rebounding the Storm 45-30.

Vegas had more offensive rebounds (10-7), more fast break points (9-6), and more assists (23-18).

Game Breakdown

Kelsey Plum scored the game’s first basket on a drive to the rim. Jewell Loyd countered with her own. Plum then buried a three already giving her more points than she had in all of Game 1. Ezi Magbegor scored on a pass from Diggins-Smith. A’ja Wilson scored seven straight points including an AND1 off the rim where she was fouled. Seattle missed another shot and then Chelsea Gray made a three-pointer. Las Vegas led 15-4 roughly three minutes into the game and started the game shooting 86%. Coach Quinn was forced to call a timeout.

The timeout didn’t help. The Aces scored another eight points in less than two minutes of action. Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray each hit threes. Seattle countered with three-point baskets from Magbegor and Diggins-Smith. Then A’ja made a three-pointer. It was raining threes by both teams early.

Nneka Ogwumike was fouled and made both free throws. Wilson made a difficult shot over the outstretched arm of Mercedes Russell. Ezi scored again down low. Gabby Williams knocked down a triple. Kelsey Plum scored in transition to end the quarter. At the end of the first period, the Las Vegas Aces led 30 to 20.

Gabby used a nice spin move down low to float in a shot. Tiffany Hayes and Skylar Diggins-Smith swapped three-point baskets. Williams got out in transition and was fouled. She made two free throws to cut the Aces’s lead down six at 33-27. Skylar got a steal and that eventually led to an offensive rebound by Nneka who got fouled. Ogwumike made both free throws.

With Seattle on a 15-5 run, Coach Becky Hammon had seen enough. She brought back in her starters. They immediately went on a 6-0 run as Chelsea Gray orchestrated back-to-back beautiful baskets. That pushed Vegas’s lead back to 10. The Storm called a timeout.

This time Seattle responded. Jordan Horston scored in the paint. Nneka Ogwumike hit a shot down the baseline. Seattle’s defense forced a couple of stops on Las Vegas. They got out in transition and Jewell Loyd made a corner three. That quick 7-0 burst cut the Aces’s lead down to three at 39-36. Coach Becky Hammon was furious and called a timeout to yell at the refs.

Skylar found Ezi off the pick-and-roll to cut the Storm’s deficit to one. A’ja Wilson forced the action down low and was fouled. She made both free throws. Chelsea Gray hit a jumper and Wilson was fouled again. Las Vegas finished on a 6-0 run to take a 45-38 lead into the locker rooms.

Seattle started the 2nd half on a 6-0 run to cut the Aces’s lead down to one. They got a short jumper from Skylar and two layups from Gabby. The Storm had a chance to take the lead but couldn’t convert. Kelsey Plum drew a foul on the other end. She made both free throws. Diggins-Smith tied the game with a three at the top of the arch. Jackie Young made her first basket.

Jewell was fouled down at the other end on a shot. Loyd made both free throws.
A’ja Wilson scored down low. Gabby Williams made a pull-up jumper. Kelsey Plum got out in transition for the easy two. Nneka knocked down a midrange jumper. Plum got in the paint again. Skylar had a chance to score at the buzzer but her shot rolled off. At the end of the third quarter, the Aces led 62-57.

Tiffany Hayes scored inside the paint to begin the fourth period. Nneka Ogwumike scored on a three. Then Gabby Williams drove down the lane and was fouled for the AND1 opportunity. Seattle briefly took the lead after Mercedes Russell scored on a second-chance opportunity. That didn’t last long as A’ja Wilson scored. Then Kelsey Plum got an AND1. Then Jackie Young scored in transition. That 7-0 run by Las Vegas put the Aces back up 71-65.

Skylar found Jewell down low for two. Then Nneka was fouled by A’ja and managed to roll in the basket. Seattle cut the deficit down to one. The Storm went small and gave up an offensive rebound. Wilson found Jackie Young open who made a back-breaking three. Kelsey Plum got past the defense for another score at the rim. Jackie Young then was fouled and made both free throws. Another 7-0 run by the Aces put them up 78-70.

Gabby collected an offensive rebound and made a remarkable reverse layup past A’ja. Ezi Magbegor had a chance to cut into the lead with a trip to the line but she missed both free throws. Pizza lovers rejoiced! Chelsea Gray hit one of her patented step-back jumpers.

When it came down to it, the Aces just had an answer for everything Seattle tried to do. Every time the Storm cut the lead to one possession, the Aces would go on a 6-0 or 7-0 run. Seattle couldn’t do enough to slow them down during crunch time. Las Vegas swept the playoff series 2-0 over Seattle with an 83-76 win.

I spoke with Nneka after the game about this. And whether the Aces’s Championship chemistry together was the main difference or if the Storm needed something more than that.

“I think it's a big difference. I think that when you look at the composition of their team, Not only have they been playing together for a long time, they all have a lot of postseason experience. And when you get to the postseason, it's just a different level. And I think that's something people should pay attention to when they're watching this postseason. I come from a background of being in the Finals a couple of times, being in extended postseason play. We have members of our team who can relate to that. But there is an intangible to the connectedness and the familiarity of being someone who knows what it feels like to be in these moments that they certainly have.” Ogwumike replied.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

The Best Gabby Has Looked

One of the best parts of the 2024 season ended up being the late-season development of Gabby Williams. Gabby did not look great in the first four games that she played with the Storm after the Paris Olympics. In three of her first four games, she scored four points or less. In the 4th game, she had seven points. And in all of the games, she was shooting poorly. She didn’t seem to have confidence and her offensive game was struggling. It had me questioning whether or not the performance we saw at the Paris Olympics was more of an aberration. Maybe she would never be able to play like that against WNBA competition full-time.

That all changed on September 3rd with Seattle’s win against Connecticut. Gabby Williams finished that game with 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists. That would be the beginning of the best span of Gabby’s WNBA career. She finished the season scoring in double figures in nine out of her last 10 games.

Gabby finished the regular season averaging nearly 10.5 PPG, the highest of her six-year WNBA career. She stepped her game up even further in the playoffs averaging 17 PPG and 6.5 RPG.

Coach Quinn praised Gabby for her performance.

“Amazing. (We got) 37 heartfelt minutes from her. She finished empty, and she probably still has a lot of gas left in her tank. She played with so much confidence. She gave us such a big boost, a couple of tough finishes around the rim. What she did defensively I thought she did a solid job on Jackie and I thought there was a level of intensity and pride that she was playing with that kind of willed us in those moments that we needed something. I'm so happy that she decided to come back with us and continue to put her mark on this league, which is something that I want her to feel good about on her WPA journey. But we needed her badly. And she showed up big. She's shown up big since she's came back to us.” Quinn told me.

Williams is finally experiencing her potential in the WNBA as her season comes to an end. There is a great foundation to build off of and something Seattle will look to do if they can re-sign Gabby to a new contract this off-season.

That could be a big if. As Rachel Galligan of Winsidr stated, “Gabby Williams is about to be one of the hottest free agents.”

Gabby is probably going to command a max, supermax, or near-max contract. Will Seattle have enough salary cap to do that and bring back Nneka Ogwumike? Also, as talented as this team was. It wasn’t good enough to get past the first round of the playoffs. Can they improve the team if they’re paying Jewell, Skylar, Ezi, and Gabby all near-max money?

What’s Wrong with Jewell?

This was the worst playoff performance of Jewell Loyd’s career. She scored a total of 15 points on 26% (5-19 FG) shooting. The team really needed her to step up against Las Vegas and it didn’t happen. The Aces were always going to be an uphill battle for the Storm to overcome but getting less than 10 points in each game from Jewell made it impossible for Seattle to advance in the playoffs.

This was Jewell’s 8th year participating in the WNBA playoffs. She has never averaged less than 12 PPG in any of those seasons. That means she averaged nearly a full five points fewer than her previous worst post-season. That’s not good at all.

There are some questions on whether or not Jewell was fully healthy. She tweaked her knee during the September 13th game in Dallas. That caused her to miss the final three games of the regular season. Loyd returned for both playoff games and averaged 30 MPG which was only a few minutes fewer than her regular season average.

After watching Game 1, I definitely felt her knee or some injury was bothering her. I thought she was slow on defense getting beat off the dribble against Tiffany Hayes multiple times. On offense, she also seemed more out of control than normal and maybe afraid to drive directly into contact. She had a couple of really poor drives with low-percentage shots where it appeared like she was trying to draw the foul but couldn’t commit to forcing the contact with physicality. Jewell averaged nearly seven free throw attempts per game in the regular season and just two attempts per game in the playoffs.

The struggles were less noticeable in Game 2. It’s difficult to say whether or not the knee was an issue at all. Loyd was not available to speak with the media after either playoff game. Coach Quinn indicated that the medical staff said her knee was fine.

I have a lot of other thoughts on this subject but I’ll wait to see if we get any more information during the Exit Interviews.

Post-Game Press Conference

While I always do my best to include multiple quotes in my stories I felt like the entire post-game press conference was eye-opening with some of the things that were said by both Coach Noelle Quinn and the players (Nneka and Gabby). Even beyond what I’ve written here.

There seems to be something wrong with the team. There were some things said where it appears not everyone was on the same page. Go ahead and give it a listen and come up with your own conclusions.

Up Next

For the Storm, it will be Exit Interviews that will take place on Wednesday, September 25th. For myself, I’ll continue to cover the WNBA Playoffs in a broader form with some Around the W articles. I plan to write more on what’s likely next for this team. There will be some organizational decisions that will have to be made I’m sure. The team will also need to figure out which players they will protect in the upcoming Golden State Valkyries Expansion Draft. We still don’t know all of the official rules but Commissioner Engelbert previously stated that the expansion draft will likely take place in December of this year.

Notes:
Photo Credits to Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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