Instant Takeaways: Storm Can't Finish Battle With Lynx, Drop Fifth Straight Game
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Seattle Storm guard Flau'jae Johnson (4) shoots a three point shot against the Minnesota Lynx during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn [/caption]
Continuing to stack competitive performances, the Seattle Storm (6-22) found themselves in another tight contest, this time with the best team in the WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx (21-6).
But once again, Seattle couldn’t finish a game that came down to the wire, falling 105-102 at Climate Pledge Arena. The Storm dropped to 0-10 in games decided by five points or fewer this season and suffered their fifth straight loss.
It was an encouraging night for the future of the league, as rookie guards Flau’jae Johnson and Olivia Miles dueled against each other, showcasing why they were both first-round selections in this year’s draft. Yet in the end, Miles won the battle and led her team to stave off Johnson and Seattle.
Hot Shooting for Both Sides
Considering the Storm have the worst record in the WNBA, they held their own against the team with the best winning percentage. Specifically, Seattle got strong shotmaking from its backcourt, which was significant because of subpar offensive nights from the team’s young, talented frontcourt. Neither Dominique Malonga nor Awa Fam scored in the first quarter, and they each had just four points combined at halftime.
Miles was extremely impactful, finishing with 32 points on 13-of-24 (54.2%) shooting, and totaling eight assists and rebounds apiece as well. But Johnson responded well, logging 26 points, which is two points shy of her career-high in scoring. She made seven of her 11 attempts from the field (63.6%) and drained five of eight shots from deep (62.5%). Point guard Natisha Hiedeman was also key, posting her second double-double as a member of Seattle by contributing 12 points and 10 assists against her former team.
The Lynx shot 37-of-76 (49%) from the floor, while the Storm made 35 of their 70 field goal attempts (50%). Maintaining their marksmanship beyond the arc as well, Minnesota knocked down 10 of 24 tries from 3-point range, and Seattle connected on 13 of 28 from distance.
The game began with the two teams either converting a field goal or turning the ball over. Each side finished the first quarter with six turnovers. Minnesota made its first six attempts from the floor, as Miles set the tone by controlling the pace, pressuring the rim, and kicking out passes to shooters on the perimeter. The frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award routinely set up sharpshooter Kayla McBride, who led all scorers with 33 points, making six threes on the night. Courtney Williams added seven in the opening period, and ended with 21 points.
Doing the heavy lifting offensively for Seattle was Johnson, who also had seven points in the first, but she wasn’t getting much help from her fellow starters. So the Storm’s bench unit stepped up to provide a spark.
Bench Unit Provides Huge Minutes
Starters on both sides took their first trips to the bench with just under three minutes to go in the first, and at that point, Minnesota led 23-13. That could’ve been the moment where the Lynx broke away from the Storm and never allowed them to get back into the game. Instead, Seattle’s reserves played inspired basketball to gain some momentum.
Jordan Horston led the charge, getting two steals and six quick points on fast-break chances. Seattle ended the opening period on a 10-4 run, cutting its deficit to four points. They carried that into the second, where Zia Cooke, Katie Lou Samuelson, and Stefanie Dolson all got involved. The latter each drained a 3-pointer, while Cooke nailed a couple from distance.
But when Minnesota’s primary unit returned to the floor, its lead ballooned to nine points and called for Malonga and Fam to establish themselves. Malonga scored her first points midway through the quarter, getting to the free throw line on a drive after a pumpfake. A few minutes later, Fam totaled her first points of the night on a transition layup, which was part of a huge Storm run.
Seattle outscored its opponent 15-4 in the final three minutes of the first half, highlighted by a six-point swing from Johnson. She was fouled by Miles on a deep 3-point attempt, which goes down as a flagrant. After making all three shots at the line and retaining possession, Johnson then drilled a corner 3-pointer to give the Storm a momentary 52-51 advantage.
They would go into halftime leading 54-53, with Johnson boasting 16 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 5-of-5 at the charity stripe. Even though Seattle had four more turnovers in the second quarter and didn’t turn Minnesota over once, they won the period by making 60% of their shots and limiting the Lynx to just 41% shooting.
Marginal Execution the Difference
The second half was tightly contested throughout, with the largest lead by either side after halftime being seven points. Although Malonga and Fam didn’t stand out offensively, they were impactful on the glass, collecting nine and 11 rebounds, respectively. Six of Fam’s boards were on the offensive end. They also contained All-Star Natasha Howard, who, despite reeling in 12 rebounds, scored just six points in the game after logging a season-high 27 points against Seattle on June 6.
In fact, the Storm matched or kept pace with the Lynx in many categories, including shooting efficiency, rebounding, paint points, and fouls committed. Cookie picked up more steam with 10 second-half points, as she finished with 18 points. But during clutch moments and the last five minutes of regulation, Seattle couldn’t click on all cylinders.
Late in the third, Samuelson knocked down a three in the corner and was fouled by a defender closing out. It allowed the Storm to potentially tie the game heading to the fourth, but Malonga missed an open layup while driving through the lane. She shot just 2-for-9 in the first three quarters.
That missed opportunity seemingly bled into the final period, as Seattle didn’t score its first fourth-quarter points until the 7:29 mark when Johnson hit a three from the wing. However, that shot sparked nine straight Storm points, capped by a couple of fast-break layups from Malonga, who dropped eight points in the fourth.
But Miles got hot again, weaving her way through traffic to create high-percentage looks for herself and others. Plus, Seattle couldn’t deter McBride’s quick release, as she delivered back-breaking threes over contests from Storm defenders. A microcosm of this was when Johnson connected on another 3-pointer, but miscommunication on a defensive rotation led to Miles making a layup while getting fouled.
Seattle managed to get the momentum right back, thanks to a huge make on an open three from Cooke. It set the scene for Seattle to finally finish in clutch time, yet execution escaped the young team once more. Following a missed layup by Miles, Hiedeman resorted to a contested mid-range shot that clanked off the rim, forcing the Storm to foul to get the ball back.
So on a half-court inbound from the right side, Jade Melbourne intended to pass to Malonga, who wasn’t far from her. Howard, however, forced Malonga near half-court with her pressure and got her hand on the pass. Not wanting to commit a violation, the second-year center left her feet and passed inside – to a waiting Williams. She kicked it to McBride, who was fouled by Fam, and one of the best free-throw shooters in the WNBA flushed both at the line, making the score 103-100.
Inbounding this time from the left side, Seattle had time to set up a three or get a quick two with 13.8 seconds to go. Instead, Hiedeman wound up taking a sidestep three over Miles just four seconds into the possession. The ball hit off the back iron before Fam grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back up for two.
Seattle fouled Williams this time, who also made both shots at the charity stripe. But only .9 seconds came off the clock, so the Storm had four seconds to go the full length of the floor, needing three points to tie.
The set-up was beautiful, as Melbourne floated the pass to Malonga just in front of the half-court line. Three Lynx defenders converged on her as she passed it ahead to a wide-open Johnson on the wing, a shot that she had already taken and made several times during the game. But her attempt bounced off the rim and a familiar feeling set in for Seattle as the final buzzer sounded.
It was a marked improvement from when the Lynx trounced the Storm 88-68 a month and a half ago in Minnesota, but the frustration on late-game execution continues to mount for Seattle. Its last three games have all been losses within five points or fewer, and the previous two have each been three-point deficits. The Storm will get another crack at the Lynx back at Climate Pledge on Wednesday, July 22, at 12 PM PT.
