Storm suffer inexplicable 72-74 loss to Mystic

There are losses, and there are bad losses. The Seattle Storm ( 18-11) suffered an inexplicable  74-72 loss to the  Washington Mystic ( 8-22)  last night at Climate Pledge Arena.  Let’s see where one begins trying to explain this one.  The two teams had played just six days ago in  Washington.  In that game, the Storm held off a furious rally by the Mystics and escaped with an 83-77 win.

OUT OF FOCUS AND SYNC

Maybe it was Sue Bird’s street dedication earlier in the day, the pregame celebrations of the Olympic medal, Gabby Williams’s return, or the sum of all the distractions. The bottom line is that the Storm players needed to be more focused, determined, or dedicated to winning. A dismal first quarter saw the Storm make just  7-21 shots from the field.  The Mystics were  10-19 from the field and  4-7 from the three-point line. Lethargic defense and dismal off-ball movement on offense saw the first quarter ended with the Mystics holding a 24-19 lead.

FOCUSED SECOND QUARTER

The Storm flipped the script in the second quarter, outscoring the Mystics 24-18 and taking a halftime lead of 43-42. For the quarter, the Storm made 10-19 shots from the field and, more importantly, played a stifling team defense that saw the Mystics make just 6 of 15 shots from the field. Bench scoring played a significant part in the strong offensive showing. Mercedes Russell had four points, with Gabby Williams and  Sami Whitcomb each chipping in three points.

REGRESSION IN THIRD QUARTER

Mystics outscored Storm 14-12 in a quarter filled with turnovers. Everything that worked in the second quarter ended abruptly in the third.

Stagnant off-ball movement.  Lackadaisical defending.  Loyd attempted nine of the Storm’s 17 field goals in the quarter, and she made just three shots.  Jordan Horston was the only other Storm player to make a field goal in the third quarter. The poor shooting led to just four  Seattle points in the third quarter.

NOT MUCH IMPROVEMENT IN THE  FINAL QUARTER

The Storm’s poor shooting continued in the fourth quarter, as they made just 7 of 17 field goals and scored 17 points. More troubling for the Storm was their lack of hustle when defending, challenging for loose balls, and rebounding, which are all controllable. With the season winding down, the question is whether the loss to the Mystics was a one-off or whether the team is regressing and whimpering into the postseason. With two games in the next four days, time will tell.

Skylar Diggins-Smith on the lack of energy by starters.⁦@CascadiasportsN⁩ ⁦@seattlestorm⁩ pic.twitter.com/Na5V1bPfbb

— MazvitaMaraire (@MazvitaMaraire) August 27, 2024

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STORM HIGHLIGHTS

 

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

• Nneka Ogwumike finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, and two steals, giving her 600 steals in her career. She became the 11^th WNBA player and fifth youngest to reach the 600-steal milestone. In addition, with her four field goals tonight, she passes Sue Bird for sixth most in WNBA history (2,480).
• Skylar Diggins-Smith hit double digits with 10 points and eight assists, which accounted for 18 additional points. Diggins-Smith, who ranks fourth in the league with 6.4 assists per game, recorded her 10th game with 8+ assists this season—the third-most in the WNBA this year.
• Jewell Loyd led Seattle’s offense with 16 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
• Sami Whitcomb contributed 11 points off the bench and matched her season-high with three steals.
• Gabby Williams finished with three points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals while playing 26 minutes off the bench in her first game with the Storm this season.
• Seattle converted 19 Washington turnovers into 17 points while only giving up 12 turnovers. The Storm leads the league forcing 18.5 turnovers per game since the break and has a league-high 21.0 points off those turnovers over that stretch.

MYSTICS HIGHLIGHTS

• The Mystics had four players in double-digit scoring, led by Brittney Sykes with 20.
• Emily Engstler added 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Julie Vanloo added 11.

NEXT GAME: The Storm plays the Atlanta Dream at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, August 28 at 7 pm. The game will be broadcast on FOX13+ and can be streamed on Prime Video (WA).