> ## 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. # Talented, Inconsistent Storm Begin Critical Stretch of Season vs. Sparks - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/talented-inconsistent-storm-begin-critical-stretch-of-season-vs-sparks/ - Published: 2025-08-01T19:13:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:19:00.000Z - Author: Connor Benintendi - Tags: Storm, Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Dominique Malonga, Noelle Quinn [Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2223683109?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) Twenty-seven games into a historically long 44-game season, the Seattle Storm have won 59.3 percent of their games (16-11) and sit at fourth place in the league standings (third in Western Conference). The Storm have had stretches this season where they look like the best team in the league — capable of demolishing any opponent on any night. They snapped the Minnesota Lynx’s season-opening nine-game win streak on June 11 in the middle of a 7-1 streak early on. They’ve beaten each of the league’s top-3 teams at least once. Seattle is at an odd junction in the season. The team is 4-4 over its last eight games, with an average margin of victory in those wins of 19.25 points. However, the losses have been bad, with an average margin of defeat of 12.5 points. Although it was against the league’s worst team, the Storm’s 101-85 win over the Connecticut Sun on Monday was emblematic of that fact. They led by as much as 32, and the difference on the scoreboard was only minimized once the bench came into the game in the fourth quarter. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was the best Seattle has looked on both sides of the ball all season. “That’s how we want to play,” Ogwumike said after the game. “That’s the foundation that we stood upon in the beginning of the season, and we’ve been trying to get back to that. I think today was indicative of us just pushing the pace, getting to space, getting to our spots and not overcomplicating things.” Ogwumike’s encouraging comments came just days after an 11-point loss to the Washington Mystics — the team’s second in its previous five games. The Mystics joined the Golden State Valkyries as the only team to beat the Storm twice this season. In that game, Seattle’s All-Star trio of Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Ogwumike scored zero points in the second half. Following a comeback attempt by the Storm’s bench, head coach Noelle Quinn subbed the starters back in and they were blanked. “I mean, at this point, I really do feel like it’s identity,” Ogwumike said after the loss to Washington. “Who are we and who do we want to be, you know? What is it that we can lean on every single day, not just on game days, but every single day? We had it in the beginning, but I think we kind of lost our way.” Seattle has faced two main problems all season: an inability to rebound against good rebounding teams (12th in the WNBA with 31.6 rebounds per game) and a heavy reliance on their starting five to produce (Ogwumike, Diggins, and Williams all averaging more than 30 minutes per game). The latter issue has gotten better over time, but you still have games like the most recent loss to Washington, where the coaching isn’t adapting in-game. In the bench’s best game all season, they’re rotated out for the ice-cold starters who have struggled to generate offense. Even if the bench was gassed from the comeback, they had momentum. It’s good conditioning for postseason play. Those types of losses, when Seattle looks like a completely different team, are a result of the starters “trying to win the game and not the possession,” Ogwumike said on Monday. This makes sense, as the possession-to-possession defense has far less tenacity than when it’s firing on all cylinders. When the Storm’s defense is fiery, it translates directly to their offense. Much of that hinges on Williams, the league’s leader in steals by a wide margin (2.5 per game). Her defense is vital, but she also tied her season low with two points against Washington. Williams bounced back on Monday with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. “When she’s playing this type of basketball, we’re a different team … She’s vital to our success,” Quinn said on Monday. Can the Storm get to a point of consistency before the postseason? And will the starters have any gas left in the tank by the time the playoffs roll around? Those are the questions heading into the latter part of the season. No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga’s recent rise has helped alleviate some of that stress on the starters. Malonga played a team-high 25 minutes on Monday, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, one steal and one block. She has now played at least 13 minutes in four straight games. “Dom is growing in an amazing way,” Quinn said Monday. “These past couple of weeks, we’ve grown up in ways that you guys don’t really see, and I’m not going to really talk about those intangibles, but it’s really showing up in her play. She’s going to continue to be a vital part of what we need to be doing on defense and offense.” Other members of the bench have stepped up, but their contributions have varied game to game. It’s good to see the starters getting more rest, even if they won’t have the luxury of sitting out an entire quarter like they did against Connecticut. This next stretch, though mostly at home, will be a prove-it period for the Storm as they try to solidify their playoff positioning. It starts against the Los Angeles Sparks (11-15) — now with a healthy Cameron Brink — on Friday. It continues with games against the Indiana Fever (15-12), Minnesota Lynx (23-5), Las Vegas Aces (14-13) and back-to-back contests against the Atlanta Dream (16-11). That’s just in the first 15 days of August. “We’re about to approach an entirely different LA team,” Ogwumike added. “We have a few days off. Not relaxing, but also not holding on too tight, is what we need to do to be able to turn this win into a streak.”