Game Day

Storm’s Young Stars Shine in Decisive Preseason Victory vs. Fire

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Storm guard Zia Cooke (7) drives into the lane in the team’s 91-81 victory over the Portland Fire on Wednesday, April 29, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Seattle Storm [/caption]

The Storm’s young guards led the charge in a 91-81 victory over the Portland Fire in the first matchup between the two franchises since 2002 on Wednesday, April 29, at Climate Pledge Arena.

For the new Portland franchise, the Storm had the privilege of hosting their first-ever game — even if it was just an exhibition matchup. And after taking one of their players (Nika Muhl) in the expansion draft, the Storm spoiled the Fire’s debut after April’s expansion draft, free agency and the rookie draft.

The preseason means next to nothing in terms of how successful the Storm will be. But the individual performances do tell us what could be on the horizon for some of the team’s young players, which is especially important this season.

Here’s what we learned from the Storm’s first and only preseason victory on Wednesday.

Early free-throw fest

Preseason and the early regular season are always going to be sloppy in the WNBA. There’s almost no time for the squads to mesh, with only a few weeks of practice prior to the schedule start and even less before the preseason.

That fact was especially present in multiple ways in the first half on Wednesday. The Storm averaged just 16.0 free-throw attempts per game (last in WNBA) during the 2025 regular season, but they had 18 in the opening period alone against the Fire.

The sloppiness trend continued with the turnovers, as both teams combined for 18 giveaways in the first half. Once the stoppages slowed in the second quarter, both teams upped the pace of their offense. That led to ample mistakes.

Seattle still controlled the game until late in the second quarter, particularly because of those early fouls against Portland. But the Fire rallied late in the second period to get things closer.

Ample contributions

Like the first preseason game, the Storm had a surprisingly well-rounded approach. Though it was nice to see starting point guard Natisha Hiedeman back in the lineup after missing the first game, and she did have three assists, she was far from the focal point.

Flau’jae Johnson (8 points), Zia Cooke (8), Rennia Davis (6), Dominique Malonga (5), Stefanie Dolson, Lexie Brown, Mackenzie Holmes and Jade Melbourne (all four points) each were involved in the offense in just the first half.

That’s a credit to head coach Sonia Raman, who was able to get a fair amount of minutes to 10 different players before both teams went to the locker room. She’s clearly committed to evaluating the entire 19-player roster through the two exhibition games.

The Storm, despite leading by as much as 12, led 45-42 at halftime.

Malonga dominance

The Storm’s second-year star is looking every bit the player fans expected of her. She was supposed to step into what could be the No. 1 scoring role, and she’s doing that while also holding up her end on the defensive side.

Malonga was already the best rebounder on the Storm’s roster last season, and she’s going to be the most effective offensive player in the team’s frontcourt in 2026.

She may have shot 3-of-9 from the field, but Malonga is looking as active on both ends of the floor as ever. And it’s translating to her impact on the team, especially with the rebounding numbers.

If Malonga can get 10 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one block in 19 minutes, Storm fans should feel good about where she will be in the regular season

Tenacity from Malonga and others helped the Storm overcome an early Fire push in the third quarter, taking a 67-60 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Backcourt cooked, again

Highlighted by Cooke’s four-point play, the Storm’s young, underappreciated backcourt continued to impress in their second preseason game.

Johnson was sensational, providing more hope that Seattle has yet another superstar to pair with Malonga for the long term. She finished with a game-high 20 points, coupled with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Cooke added 19 points, proving she may have a role on this year’s Storm squad after being traded to the Washington Mystics, cut and returning to Seattle shortly after last season.

She may only be on a training camp contract, but there’s a good reason to expect more out of Cooke in 2026. The swagger and dynamic scoring ability were present against Portland, but that has to continue when the competition heats up.

Johnson, on the other hand, is looking like a pure star in the making. An already advantageous trade after she was picked No. 8 overall by the Golden State Valkyries is only continuing to look better.