Storm Open Second Half of the Season with Sloppy Offensive Performance in Blowout Loss to Dallas
The Seattle Storm (14-10) showed signs of rust in their first game out of the All-Star break. With veteran point guard and leading scorer and assister Skylar Diggins missing the matchup against the Dallas due to personal reasons, the Storm could never find a rhythm offensively and fell to the Wings 87-63.
Things started out smoothly for Seattle as they opened the game on an 8-0 run. The ball pressure defensively from the Storm was impeccable as – led by Erica Wheeler – the Storm forced five turnovers in the early minutes. But the team struggled to capitalize on their efforts and turn defense to offense. It allowed the Wings to stick around as Seattle could never break away.
The Storm led the turnover margin 12-2 after the first half but only led by two at the time. Gabby Williams did it all for Seattle in the first two quarters. She started the game with 10 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Williams was on pace for her first career triple-double but finished with 14 points and only one more rebound and steal. Although she did not have another assist, her sixth of the game was No. 300 in a Storm uniform for Williams, putting her at 12th in franchise history in assists. With her sixth four-steal performance, Williams set the Storm single-season record in that category.
Outside of fast break opportunities, the Storm struggled to create scoring chances in the half-court and – most alarmingly – were abysmal from behind the arc. They ended the night four-for-21 from three-point range (19%) and shot under 31% overall from the field. After being the best team in the W shooting from deep to begin the season (35.7%), it seems the trend of inefficiencies from long-range that plagued the Storm in 2024 have returned, when they shot under 29%. In the last six games, the team is shooting under 26% from three.
Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale drained a long three-pointer with less than a second to go in the first half that proved to be an opening act in a hot stretch. After Seattle kept Ogunbowale and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers quiet in the first half, the Dallas guard tandem got going. The duo powered the Wings to a 17-0 run in the third quarter that carried over from the final minutes of the first half. The four-time All-Star rained threes down while Bueckers got to her spot at the nail, using her footwork to drain several buckets through contact.
With Seattle’s offense sputtering and frustrations likely boiling late in the third, Nneka Ogwumike got chippy with Wings big Luisa Geiselsöder. As Ogwumike ran to the top of the key to potentially set a screen, she took exception to a push in the side from Geiselsöder which caused her to fall. But there was no whistle on the floor. The Storm forward then responded by pulling her counterpart to the ground as she was being boxed out and then standing over Geiselsöder to let her know about it.
It was an uncharacteristic action from the seven-time All-WNBA player, but it was a microcosm of how things were unfolding for Seattle. Both players received technical fouls and Ogwumike was handed a flagrant as well.
Dallas scored 32 points in the third quarter, nearly matching their 34-point mark in the first half. The final period was more of the same as the Storm continued to struggle on the offensive end. The Wings completely matched Seattle in the second half, outscoring the Storm 53-27 in the last 20 minutes. Without Diggins, someone else had to step up and that never occurred for the Storm. Ogwumike led the way with 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting as she had her mid-range shot working. Ezi Magbegor had 12 points and nine rebounds while Erica Wheeler shot just two-for-11 from the field.
The newest Storm Tiffany Mitchell was inserted into the starting lineup in Diggins’ absence but didn’t provide the same spark she showed in her first three games with the team. She logged two points in 29 minutes but did lead Seattle with a couple of blocks. She was removed from the bench unit, which struggled immensely in this one.
The Wings’ reserves bested the Storm bench 23-9, marking the tenth straight game Seattle’s backups have been outscored. They also built on their identity on the glass, winning the rebounding battle over Seattle 48-34.
Dallas entered Climate Pledge Arena at 6-17 but — as has been the case for Seattle this season — the Storm seemed to play down to their opponent. They are now 6-5 against teams under .500 while being 10-5 against teams .500 or better. It will be an interesting trend to follow as the Storm’s next four games are against Chicago (7-16), Washington (11-12), Connecticut (3-19), and Los Angeles (9-14).
Seattle’s offensive rating when Skylar Diggins is on the floor (105.6) compared to when she is off (83.9) is drastic. The defense also takes a considerable hit without her presense. Fortunately for the Storm, Diggins is expected to return to action Thursday, July 23, on the road against the Sky at 5:30 PT. Seattle will look to get their shooting going and increased contributions from their bench as they attempt to stay afloat in the playoff race.
