> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Instant Takeaways: Storm Fall Back to Earth in Blowout Loss to Sparks - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/storm-fall-back-to-earth-in-blowout-loss-to-sparks/ - Published: 2026-08-31T00:49:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:13:38.000Z - Author: Connor Benintendi - Tags: Game Day, Analysis, Storm, Dominique Malonga, Zia Cooke, Flau'jae Johnson, Sonia Raman \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="6000"\] ![ Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga has a layup contested by Los Angeles Sparks forward Cam Brink in a 90-74 loss on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/knr15964-jpg-format-original.jpg) Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga has a layup contested by Los Angeles Sparks forward Cam Brink in a 90-74 loss on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm \[/caption\] The short-handed Seattle Storm started and finished poorly en route to a 90-74 blowout loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle (8-32), which is missing Awa Fam due to international play and Natisha Hiedeman due to injury, couldn’t get much going for most of the game. Flau’jae Johnson led the Storm with 19 points, while Dominique Malonga totaled 17 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. Zia Cooke, though she did most of her damage in the first half, still finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals. Los Angeles (15-25) was led by 23 points and 12 rebounds from former Storm star Nneka Ogwumike. Rae Burrell totaled 22 points, four rebounds and three assists, and the Sparks won their second-straight game for the first time since early July. Here’s what we learned from a lopsided Storm loss against the Sparks. ### **Non-existent offense at start** Fans don’t sit down in their seats at Climate Pledge Arena until the Storm make a bucket. They were standing until the 5:11 mark in the opening period. Los Angeles built up a 13-0 lead in the meantime, forcing Seattle to miss its first six shots. The Storm made one of their first 11 attempts, falling behind 18-2 in the first seven minutes. It was back to a disjointed offense, just one game separated from one of their best games of the season. Ogwumike fueled the early offense for the Sparks. Ogwumike scored nine of the team’s first 18 points, looking as impressive as she did playing at Climate Pledge in a green uniform. Seattle did begin to keep pace, but they didn’t cut into the lead much before the first-quarter buzzer. Cooke led the Storm with five points in the period. The second quarter didn’t improve. Los Angeles’ lead ballooned as high as 22 and sat at 19 at halftime. The Storm’s defense was uncoordinated and porous, presenting a must-fix situation for head coach Sonia Raman in the second half. Cooke was the only bright spot for Seattle in the first two quarters, scoring 10 points. Johnson added eight for the Storm, but Ogwumike poured in 12 to lead the Sparks. Los Angeles doubled up Seattle in rebounds and shot 25% higher from the field. That alone was enough to explain why Storm’s deficit was so large. ### **Comeback attempt crumbles in fourth quarter** Malonga started to show up in the third quarter, but she was still inefficient from the field. Meanwhile, Ogwumike and Burrell kept their foot on the gas for the Sparks. Los Angeles’ lead peaked at 26 points, and it looked like the short-handed Storm were staring down the barrel of another blowout. But they found some energy in the final period. After outscoring the Sparks by one in the third quarter, the Storm began the final quarter on an 11-3 run to get the deficit down to 10\. It was a reminder that Seattle, despite all of their issues this season, has rarely folded when in a big hole. The Storm’s ability to shake off poor stretches and get back into games has been one of their best qualities in 2026\. What they don’t do consistently, however, is turn that second effort into wins. The comebacks typically fall short. This was another such outing. Even after their previous energy, late-game mistakes spiraled the Storm back into mediocrity. Turnovers stacked up, easy layups were missed and Seattle appeared to run out of gas. Los Angeles pushed their lead back up, putting Seattle back in the loss column after a previously exciting win earlier in the week. ### **Unexpected contributions** Cooke was excellent in the first half off the bench, and she played 26 total minutes. She was essentially the only spark that the Storm had in the first two quarters, and they would’ve been even further behind at halftime without that. Jordan Horston, though she started her second straight game, has played 15 minutes or less in both appearances. Horston has totaled a combined three points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in those games. Defensively, Horston shows up in the stat sheet, but she’s not playing well enough on that end of the court to play big minutes. That opens doors for other players late in the season to make an impact. In addition to Cooke, Katie Lou Samuelson has been playing big minutes the last two games, and Taylor Thierry and Stefanie Dolson have seen more minutes. Even if the bench isn’t scoring 30 points as it did against the Toronto Tempo, it’s nice to see other players stepping up late in the season. ### **Up next** The Storm have more than two weeks off, as multiple players from the team will be playing in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Seattle’s next game will be at home against the Las Vegas Aces (27-13) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17.