Instant Takeaways: Storm Lock Up Caitlin Clark, Still Lose to Fever at Home

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Even with a tamed Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever snapped the Seattle Storm’s three-game win streak behind 57 combined points from Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. Credit: John Mac [/caption]

The Seattle Storm held Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark to the second-lowest scoring output of her career, but still lost 94-86 on Tuesday, June 24, in a packed house at Climate Pledge Arena.

Seattle didn’t reach its magic number of 21 assists, falling to 0-6 this season when they don’t reach that figure (9-0 with 21 or more). The Storm logged 17 assists while being dominated on the boards and allowing the Fever’s other stars to step up in the wake of Clark’s continued shooting struggles.

Skylar Diggins led the Storm with 22 points, while Erica Wheeler poured in 20 — including 14 in the fourth quarter alone. Ogwumike finished with 16 points.

Here’s what we learned from the Storm’s disappointing loss to the Fever on Tuesday.

Rebounding struggles reach critical point

Storm head coach Noelle Quinn has frequently employed a small-ball lineup this season, but Seattle’s rebounding issues, at this point, go well beyond those personnel combinations. Following Tuesday’s loss, opponents have outrebounded the Storm in four straight games and in 10 of 15 contests this season. That makes it hard to win basketball games.

Indiana outrebounded Seattle 12-2 in the first quarter. The Storm had more rebounds (3) in the first minute of the second quarter than they did in the first 10 minutes of the game, and still went into halftime with a 25-9 deficit. Their 38-21 disadvantage in the rebounding department tied their worst of the season (48-31 in a June 3 win over the Dallas Wings) but felt more significant because of the difference on the scoreboard.

It’s impossible not to wonder what rookie No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga or Mackenzie Holmes could add in that area with more minutes. Malonga logged two rebounds in just five minutes on the court, towering over the Fever with her 6-foot-6 frame and insane reach. Starting center Ezi Magbegor pulled down just five rebounds in 35 minutes.

Ogwumike led Seattle with six boards, while five other players had just two. That isn’t going to cut it against the majority of the WNBA, and the Storm could be winning games by much larger margins if they can box out and clean the glass consistently.

Caitlin Clark locked up

It was a team effort to defend Clark, but forward Gabby Williams had the primary assignment. The league’s leader in steals didn’t disappoint, holding the WNBA’s most exciting star to just two points in the first half on 1 of 8 shooting (0 for 4 3PT). 

Clark, who is now 1 for 23 from 3-point range over her last three games, finished with a season-low six points on 3-for-13 shooting (0 for 6 3PT). She also turned the ball over eight times for the second straight game. It was the second-lowest scoring output of her WNBA career.

Clark impacted the game in other ways, however, by logging nine assists and three steals — opening the door for her co-stars to take over for a game.

Unexpected Fever duo dominates

In an attempt to shut down Clark, the Storm had no answer for Aliyah Boston or Kelsey Mitchell, who combined for 57 points on 21-for-32 shooting. Seattle’s interior defense, which is supposed to be a strength of the team, couldn’t stop anything inside. Much of that falls on the shoulders of Magbegor, who continues to underwhelm in virtually every area through 15 games. Mitchell knocked down five of her seven 3-point attempts. 

Magbegor finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. She has yet to wholly dominate a game on offense at any point this season and has been up and down defensively.

Malonga in the dog house?

After playing 10 or more minutes in eight of the Storm’s first 11 games, Malonga has played a combined 16 minutes over the last three games. She’s been incredibly efficient in her limited playing time, scoring 10 points and adding six rebounds in just the last two games (12 minutes). Malonga has been a clear boost as a rebounder, making it even more puzzling how she is becoming an afterthought once again.

There’s no reason Malonga should still be exclusively a matchup rotation. She’s provided a spark on multiple occasions without needing hardly any time to warm up. In a game where everything is going wrong on both ends of the floor, why are we continuing to wait to see what the 19-year-old rookie can do with 20 or more minutes in a single game?

More context: Magbegor has 15 points and 13 rebounds over Seattle’s last two games in 63 minutes. Malonga has 10 points and six rebounds in 12 minutes. That’s a conservative pace of 52 points and 31 rebounds per 63 minutes for Malonga. Yet, she’s not getting on the floor.

Up Next

The Storm fell to 9-6 overall on the season, while the Fever got back to .500 (7-7). Seattle saw its third three-game win streak of the season come to an end ahead of another home game against the Connecticut Sun (2-12) on Friday, June 27.

Seattle’s only matchup with the Sun this season was in a 79-59 win during the preseason.