> ## 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 Fumble Another Late-Game Comeback vs. Sky - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/storm-fumble-another-late-game-comeback-vs-sky/ - Published: 2026-08-17T02:36:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:13:51.000Z - Author: Connor Benintendi - Tags: Game Day, Analysis, Storm, Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam, Ezi Magbegor, Zia Cooke, Jade Melbourne, Jordan Horston \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2061"\] ![ Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne (5) assesses the floor in the team’s 82-80 loss to the Chicago Sky on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/20260816_vs-chicago_second-half_fs-9-format-original.jpg) Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne (5) assesses the floor in the team’s 82-80 loss to the Chicago Sky on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm \[/caption\] The Seattle Storm nearly erased another double-digit first-half deficit, but they once again couldn’t complete the comeback in an 82-80 loss to the Chicago Sky on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Climate Pledge Arena. After trailing by as much as 21 points, the Storm put together a late push in the fourth quarter. However, for the second straight game, that effort fell short in a two-point loss. Seattle (7-30) lost the three-game season series against Chicago (13-22). Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks, while Ezi Magbegor had another quality game with 17 points, four rebounds, one assist and five blocks. The Sky got a combined 44 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, four steals and four blocks from Kamilla Cardoso and Natasha Cloud. Chicago wasn’t as effective offensively in the second half, but that duo did enough to keep them ahead. Here’s what we learned from the Storm’s second-straight loss on Saturday. ### **First half woes** The Sky immediately took an 11-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. They led by 12 at the end of the first quarter as the Storm struggled to organize their offense. Although we’ve seen it many times this season, it felt especially demoralizing considering Seattle had just won its previous game against Chicago. That didn’t change in the second quarter. Chicago took their biggest lead of the game, 46-25, with 1:41 remaining in the half on a Courtney Vandersloot layup. All the Sky had to do was not have a complete meltdown defensively, and the win was sealed. Defensively, the Storm didn’t play bad. The nine blocks combined by Magbegor and Malonga were impressive, proving that the duo can be among the best rim-protector combos in the WNBA. The Sky weren’t efficient from the field, and they only scored 36 of their points in the paint. The Storm had 46 points in the paint by the game’s end, but they gave up 27 free-throw attempts — giving the Sky too many free points. ### **Another late-game surge** Two days ago, Seattle lost to the Portland Fire by two points after trailing by as much as 16 points. They outscored the Fire 46-36 in the second half but fell just a few plays short of earning a second straight win. The second half against the Sky was eerily similar to that previous result. Following an 11-0 Storm run late in the third quarter that shrunk the Sky’s lead to just seven, Chicago responded with a four-point flurry by Cardoso. Another 9-3 run by the Storm brought them to within five, opening the door for a much more interesting final period. Chicago didn’t back down, however, and they caught fire once again early in the fourth quarter. The Storm fell behind by 12 before Zia Cooke sparked another strong offensive stretch for Seattle. A Cooke layup was followed up by buckets from Malonga, Fam and Magbegor, quickly taking a potential blowout and resetting it to a three-point game. Both teams traded buckets until Fam made a pair of free throws with 20.3 seconds left, and the Storm trailed by just one point. An intentional foul and made free throws by Cloud pushed the Sky’s advantage back to three, but Malonga put in two more points for the Storm on the other end. Vandersloot had a chance to keep the Sky ahead by three after being fouled, but she missed one of her two free-throw attempts. That opened a massive opportunity for Seattle: Make a three and win the game, or tie it with a two. Seattle and head coach Sonia Raman had 10 seconds to work with, but they also had to get down the court for a shot attempt. Jade Melbourne got a running, contested floater off with two seconds left, but it was off. The Storm had fumbled another comeback attempt. ### **Horston injured again** Right after getting Flau’jae Johnson back, Raman and the Storm may have to make another change to their starting lineup for their next game against the Dallas Wings. Jordan Horston, who missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL, exited the game against the Sky with a right shoulder injury. Horston had been filling in for Johnson the previous two games and was coming off her best three-game stretch of the season. Raman kept Horston in the starting lineup, and Johnson started in place of Natisha Hiedeman, who was out with a left shoulder injury. It’s unclear if Horston and Hiedeman will miss extended time, but Raman will likely turn to players like Cooke and Taina Mair to fill those backcourt roles. That’s a good opportunity for the Storm’s younger players, but it also keeps them far from fully healthy late in the season. ### **Up next** The Storm go back on the road after a three-game home stand to face the Wings (20-15) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23\. Seattle is 0-2 against Dallas so far this season.