Instant Takeaways: Storm Earn Revenge on Mercury in Home Opener

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The Seattle Storm won their second straight game and evened up the season series with the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday following a 77-70 win at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: John McClellan [/caption]

Less than a week after starting point guard Skylar Diggins called her team’s season-opening loss against the Phoenix Mercury “embarrassing,” the Seattle Storm earned a taste of revenge with a 77-70 victory over that same squad in their home opener at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

Seattle (1-1), coming off three days of rest against a 2-0 Mercury team, was better in almost every area from the first meeting on their way to evening up the season series. The win was fueled by Diggins and fellow veteran superstar Nneka Ogwumike, as the pair combined for more than 40 points for the second straight game.

Here’s what we learned from a statement victory by the Storm at home in Seattle.

Early deadlock

Neither team gained an edge in the first 10 minutes. Phoenix had no answer for Diggins (9 points in the first quarter) — like in the opener — or Ogwumike (8 points). Seattle had no answer for forward Satou Sabally (9 points) while the Mercury shot over 64 percent as a team.

The Storm’s points weren’t easy to come by, either, scoring just six of their 24 first-quarter points in the paint. Phoenix still kept Seattle out of the interior, but the Storm shot the ball much better early than they did in the season opener.

Seattle eventually quelled the output of the Mercury’s stars, but it was a back-and-forth for just over two quarters before the Storm earned that advantage.

Deeper rotation

One game after using just an eight-player rotation and forcing four of her five starters to play at least 35 minutes, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn empowered her should-be quality bench. That included 19-year-old rookie Dominique Malonga but was led by veteran guard Erica Wheeler.

In the first half, Seattle went on a 6-0 run fueled by buckets from Malonga and guard Zia Cooke to help it gain a five-point lead. Phoenix rallied, but it was an example of the energy the Storm’s bench can inject into the team when they’re given a chance to impact the game. 

Down the stretch, Wheeler played a crucial role. Starter Alysha Clark was pulled after playing 13 minutes and scoring just two points — continuing her very slow start to 2025 (eight total points). Wheeler ended up logging 23 minutes, mostly taking the point, to allow Diggins the chance to score more and facilitate less. Wheeler finished with six points, two rebounds and three assists, and the Storm were plus-14 when she was on the floor.

Late run, late defense

Phoenix was held scoreless for nearly five minutes (and without a field goal for eight minutes) from the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth quarter. That allowed the Storm to mount a 12-0 run, taking a five-point lead early in the final period after previously trailing by as much as seven.

That was largely fueled by 10 third-quarter points from Ogwumike, who made all five of her shots in the period. Seattle’s defense also strengthened, closing out on every Mercury shot attempt and making life generally more difficult for the Phoenix offense.

The only points the Mercury scored for nearly eight minutes were on a free throw by Sabally. Phoenix missed 10 consecutive shot attempts during that stretch. In the fourth quarter, Sabally and her frontcourt counterpart Alyssa Thomas missed all seven of their attempts as the Storm locked down Phoenix’s star duo. It was a statement by Seattle after they were dominated by that same pair less than a week ago.

In front of the home crowd, Seattle played its best basketball during crunch time. After combining for 20 points in the first half, Sabally and Thomas were held to just 11 in the final two quarters.

Storm superstars don’t disappoint, again

This Storm team has needed contributions from the whole team to earn their two wins, but they might not be winning any if it weren’t for Ogwumike and Diggins. The pair of veterans, who have completed a combined 23 seasons in the WNBA, have now scored 125 of the team’s 215 points (58 percent) through three games this season. 

Diggins has scored at least 21 points in each game, and she tied Sue Bird’s franchise record with 14 assists against Phoenix. She added 24 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals in an all-around stellar performance.

Ogwumike tacked on another outstanding night on both sides of the floor with 24 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Her third-quarter surge helped Seattle gain control of the game and eventually led the team as they closed it out on defense.

Both 34 years old, Ogwumike and Diggins will be the reason the Storm succeed or fail in 2025. So far, they are powering a two-game win streak that has Seattle looking like it can compete with any team in the league.

A tale of two games

Seattle converted more 3-pointers (four) in the first half against Phoenix than it did the entire first game (three) on May 17. They finished with just five makes on 18 attempts, which leaves room to be desired, but it didn’t feel like a bad shooting night for the Storm. The shots fell in the critical moments.

The Storm found answers for Phoenix’s stars that they couldn’t find in the first game. Those successful in-game adjustments will be critical moving forward and show Quinn can find those solutions in a pinch. Seattle scored in a plethora of ways, from right under the hoop to mid-range shots to 3-pointers (36 points in the paint, 41 outside of it).

In the season opener, Seattle could barely set up their offense. Three games into the season it's beginning to look like a well-oiled machine.