Instant Takeaways: Storm Drop 3rd Straight Game in Narrow Loss to Lynx
The Seattle Storm couldn’t take advantage of a shorthanded Minnesota Lynx squad in a disappointing 91-87 home loss on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Climate Pledge Arena — the team’s third straight loss, all of which have been at home.
Even with no Napheesa Collier, the Lynx showed why they’re the WNBA’s best team. Seattle kept pace for most of the game, but faltered in the end while Minnesota’s other stars did just enough to hold off a Storm comeback.
Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler single-handedly kept the Storm in the game as they have many times this season, but it wasn’t enough.
Here’s what we learned from the Storm’s Tuesday loss to the Lynx.
Minnesota’s dominant second half
Seattle led by eight at halftime, appearing primed to overpower the Collier-less Lynx. It didn’t continue that way in the second half, however, as Minnesota dropped 28 points in each of the final two quarters while holding the Storm to just 44 total points.
The Storm committed too many untimely turnovers down the stretch and allowed the Lynx to build up a nine-point lead with two minutes remaining in the game. Even with Ogwumike and Wheeler’s heroics from beyond the 3-point arc, it was too big a hill to climb.
Minnesota was able to bleed the clock on offense, and the Storm were forced to foul. Kayla McBride made good on all six of her free throw attempts inside of 30 seconds remaining.
Minnesota had five players score in double figures, led by 20 from Courtney Williams. McBride finished with 14.
Seattle was led by Ogwumike’s 23 points, while Wheeler totaled 19. The Storm shot an efficient 49.3 percent from the field, but they also surrendered nine offensive rebounds to the Lynx, which resulted in too many second-chance opportunities.
Neither team at full strength
The Storm had a clear advantage in this game with Napheesa Collier — the league’s leading MVP candidate — out with an ankle injury. Seattle made the trade for Brittney Sykes earlier on Tuesday, but it was too short a window for her to get to Seattle from Washington.
Despite that, the Storm only lost Zia Cooke and Alysha Clark in the trade, neither of whom was playing a critical role for the team. They only had nine active players, but Noelle Quinn regularly uses just an eight-player rotation anyway.
But the Lynx aren’t the best team in the league solely because of Collier. They have depth, and it shows. With five players in double figures, the Lynx put on a masterclass of team basketball against a sliding Storm squad.
Gabby Williams sets franchise steals record
In the first half, Williams reset the Storm’s single-season steals record by notching her 75th of the 2025 season. By the game’s end, Williams had 77 steals on the season. Notoriously one of the league’s best defenders, Williams leads the league in steals by a wide margin. She’s averaging 2.6 per game and has been integral to Seattle’s success this season.
Williams playing the full season for the Storm was always going to be especially important, and her do-it-all skill set has been massive for Seattle. She’s now backing up that reputation with records.
Seattle’s skid, and what’s next
During their three-game losing streak, the Storm have lost by a combined 10 points. They’ve been in every game, simply not doing enough to seal the wins late. Conversely, their opponents have done the exact opposite — making the timely plays to preserve their leads.
Seattle is now 4-7 over its last 11 games. It’s the second time all season that they’ve endured a three-game losing streak, but the last one was in late May to early June. This has been by far the worst stretch of the season, and is precisely why they are bringing in Sykes to supplement the lineup. Sykes’ perimeter defense will be a big help, but it’ll be interesting to see if she’s a legitimate upgrade over Wheeler.
The Storm will be on the road for seven of their next 10 games. That may seem like a huge negative, but the team is 8-6 on the road this season and 8-8 at home. Climate Pledge Arena hasn’t been an advantage for Seattle this season.
Up Next
Seattle (16-14) begins a three-game road trip at the Las Vegas Aces (15-14) in a critical game for Western Conference positioning. The Storm are just a half-game ahead of the Aces in sixth place in the league standings (third in conference hierarchy). That game tips off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.
