Lynx Defeat Storm 88-68 Part 2
Additional thoughts, discussion, and interviews from Seattle's loss to Minnesota.
The Seattle Storm (3-9) looked very impressive in the opening quarter, and was very competitive through the first half of the game on Saturday. Unfortunately, that didn’t last as a 26-10 third period swung the game in favor of the Minnesota Lynx (9-2). Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard were too much for the Storm to handle, handing Seattle its 5th loss in a row. If you missed it, you can read the full game recap at the link here.
Poor 3rd Quarter Dooms Storm in 88-68 Loss
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) - A hot start in the opening frame by the Seattle Storm (3-9) would not last as the Minnesota Lynx (9-2) rallied from down 12 to ahead by 21. After taking a 24-16 lead into the 2nd quarter, Seattle was outscored 55-29 over the 2nd and 3rd periods. A 26-10 third period turned a hotly contested game into another blowout loss for t…
In Part 2, I wrote about how Olivia Miles is a legit MVP candidate and how Natasha Howard is still great. I discussed why I think Flau’jae Johnson is trying too hard, and dug into how she compares to some other WNBA players and their rookie seasons. This was also the first time we got to see Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam play together at the same time. I’ve included some quotes and the post-game audio interviews with Natisha Hiedeman, Jade Melbourne, and Coach Sonia Raman.
Miles is an MVP Candidate
I wonder how many people realize how good Olivia Miles has been to start her WNBA career. I think most people paying attention acknowledge that she is the current frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. But I’m here to say I legitimately believe she should be in the MVP discussion.
The Minnesota Lynx have the league’s best record at 9-2. That’s without MVP candidate Napheesa Collier playing a single game this year. Collier is still recovering form her double ankle surgeries that she had in the off-season. She should return later on, but has already missed 25% of the season, and could miss around 50% or more if she misses another month of games.
Not only are the Lynx without Collier, but they also lost last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, and the team’s previous starting center, Alanna Smith. On top of that, they lost Jessica Shepard as well. Both players signed with the Dallas Wings during free agency.
Minnesota has lost several key contributors to the team that finished with a league-best 34-10 record in 2025, including Natisha Hiedeman to the Seattle Storm.
No Hiedeman, no Shepard, no Smith, and no Collier. And yet… No Problem! Minnesota was supposed to be surviving until Collier returned, not thriving. But they have the best record in the WNBA at 9-2. How can that be? Olivia Miles is the answer.
More than any other reason. More than the fact that the Lynx still have great players like Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams on the roster. More than the fact that they brought back Natasha Howard, who is having a career year. Even more than having (arguably) the best coach in the WNBA in Cheryl Reeve. Olivia Miles is the answer.
Miles destroyed Seattle and the Storm don’t have exclusive rights to that beat down. She is doing this to everyone. Olivia scored a career-high 28 points on 56% FG shooting, and a WNBA rookie record with eight made 3-PT FG. She made 8-11 FG (73%) from beyond the arc. The game before that she had 19 points on 78% shooting, and 10 assists. She hasn’t scored fewer than 13 points in a game this season. She is averaging 17.2 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.5 SPG.
Olivia Miles looked unstoppable on the court against the Storm. And that’s even with plus defenders guarding her like Jordan Horston. Seattle and Golden State have been two of the better defensive teams this year. Those were her last two opponents, and she’s carved them up. If she isn’t getting to the rim with ease from either side, then she’s knocking down stepback threes, and if she’s not doing that, then she’s making perfect pocket passes to get her teammates the easiest looks they’ve ever had.
She is a wizard with the basketball. She manipulates everything on the court. Teams haven’t been able to stop her. If you sag off, she’ll hit the three, if you play tight, she gets to the rim, and if you leave any teammate of hers open, she’ll find them. If this isn’t an MVP-type player, then what is?
Coach Raman talked to me about how dangerous Miles was with Natasha Howard.
“The pick and roll. I thought they were really effective out of that. We tried to make a couple adjustments, but something that we’ll have to get better at going forward against those two the next time we play them. Miles did a really good job of finding her in pockets. And I think all of her teammates with Howard did a good job of of utilizing her and just her ability to play with force in the paint, really came up big tonight.”
Natasha Howard Still Special
Natasha Howard is still playing at a high-level this in her 13th season in the WNBA. I will always look back fondly on Howard’s time in Seattle because she was the missing link (Lynx) that the Storm needed to become a Championship team once again. When she joined Seattle, she helped solidify the frontcourt next to Breanna Stewart. She was also a major defensive force, which put less pressure on Stewie to have to do everything. And even though her production dropped quite a bit in the 2020 season, she was still an important piece to the Storm’s 4th WNBA title as well.
Fast forward to 2026, and Natasha Howard is still great at the things she does well. She runs the floor, scores in transition, can finish with either hand, and plays strong defense. She was excellent in the pick-and-roll with Olivia Miles.
I wonder if Howard will be considered for the Hall of Fame when her career is over. She’s a 3-time WNBA Champion, a 2-time WNBA All-Star, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, All-WNBA 1st Team (2019), Commissioner’s Cup Champion and MVP (2025), and the WNBA Most Improved Player winner (2018).
She’s playing like an All-Star again this year, averaging 17.1 PPG on a career-best 64% FG shooting, 7.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 0.7 BPG. She probably should get another All-Star nod if these numbers hold up, and if Minnesota continues to play well, and adds Napheesa Collier back, Howard could end up winning her 4th WNBA Championship this year, too!
Flau’jae is Trying Too Hard at Times
Flau’jae Johnson looked incredible in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. Through the first 10 minutes, she went 3-4 FG, scored eight points, and knocked down 2-2 FG from 3-PT range. She also had a couple of rebounds, a steal, and was a game-best (through 10 minutes) +12 points in the plus/minus.
Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Johnson shot 0-4 FG in the 2nd quarter, 1-4 FG in the 3rd quarter, and 0-3 FG in the final period. Her shot zone is shown below.
There are multiple reasons why Flau’jae’s efficiency isn’t good right now. Part of it is because she’s a rookie, and the transition to the WNBA is incredibly steep for most players. Johnson is averaging 11.5 PPG on 30% FG shooting and 26% on 3-PT FG. She’s also averaging 4.1 FTA (Free Throw Attempts) and 84% FT from the line. Her offense is only part of it; she’s averaging 5.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.3 BPG.
I think it’s fair to take a look at two other players that Johnson has been compared to, Jewell Loyd and Kahleah Copper. And to specifically look at their rookie seasons.
Loyd averaged 10.7 PPG on 41% FG shooting and 21% from 3-PT range. She averaged 3.4 FTA and shot 90% from the FT line. Jewell averaged 3.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, and 0.2 BPG.
Meanwhile, during Copper’s rookie season, she averaged 6.2 PPG on 42% FG shooting and 47% from 3-PT FG. For clarity, Copper took only one three-point attempt per game her rookie year, while Flau’jae is attempting nearly 5.0 per game. Kah averaged 2.1 FTA/game and shot 68% from the line. She also averaged 3.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, and 0.1 BPG. In fairness, I should note that while Flau’jae is playing nearly identical minutes to Jewell Loyd’s rookie year (around 26 MPG), Copper averaged nearly 10 fewer minutes at around 16 MPG.
Looking over these numbers, Flau’jae has definitely been the least efficient player offensively of the three, but is producing more in other areas of the game (rebounding, defense, etc.).
As I wrote above, there are multiple reasons for the struggles offensively. While Jewell was lucky enough to have Sue Bird as her point guard and leader during Loyd’s rookie year, Flau’jae doesn’t have that luxury. Olivia Miles is clear proof that a high-end point guard can make a world of difference. It’s not a coincidence that Natasha Howard is averaging a career-best 64% FG to start this season.
Seattle’s offense is struggling. They rank dead last in assists per game (16.8 APG). Flau’jae’s offense could be improved just by being set up more for success. They need more backdoor cuts to the rim, getting open off of screens, and better pocket passes.
Something I remember reading from Hunter Cruse’s draft prospect evaluations was how Johnson rarely finishes drives with her off-hand (left). As I’ve watched her over these first 12 games, I’ve seen a lot of moments where Flau’jae either misses or gets her shot rejected because she’s trying to finish with her right hand on the left side. To be fair to her, several players only finish with their dominant hand, no matter which side of the rim they’re on. But if Flau’jae wants to find ways to improve and increase her efficiency, this is something she’ll need to continue to work on. This will likely also allow her to draw even more fouls because defenders will have to come across her body to stop her shot if she finishes with her left. Getting to the line is something she already does well, and that would take her to an even higher level.
Lastly, I think Flau’jae is pressing a bit and frankly, trying too hard. She’s already talked to me about how the losing is driving her crazy. The Storm are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. That’s not something she’s had to experience during her time at LSU. I’m certain she cares greatly about helping Seattle get off the schneid.
Saturday’s game feels like a perfect example of that. In the first quarter, the Storm were playing great basketball. They were executing and knocking down shots. In those 10 minutes, Flau’jae shot 75% (3-4 FG) and took high-percentage shots. But as the game progressed, Seattle’s offense struggled. Minnesota erased Seattle’s lead and eventually started building one of its own. Then all of a sudden, the Storm were trailing by double digits. Johnson’s desperation to stop the bleeding and get Seattle more points started mounting. That’s when more erratic shots started happening. There was a time when she could have made a nice pass to Awa Fam, but instead tried to do it all herself, spun around, and traveled with the basketball while nearly running into Fam.
This season is going to be filled with struggles and frustration for several players, but especially Johnson. She just needs to learn from all of this and try not to rush, panic, or do more than is necessary. I’ll be curious to see if we can see progress and growth for her once the team plays 25-30 games, and again by the end of the season.
Awa and Dom’s 1st Game
In their first game with both players available, Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam actually didn’t play much together. Malonga did not start in her return to the lineup after missing eight games due to a concussion. Dom played 14 minutes off the bench. She scored seven points on 3-8 FG.
Awa Fam got her second career start, but did not play nearly as well as she did in her debut. Fam played the most minutes of any Storm player (30 minutes) for a third consecutive game. She finished with five points, four rebounds, and four assists, but also had four turnovers and struggled a bit on defense at times.
The two players often swapped in and out for one another. Stefanie Dolson remained in the starting lineup instead of Malonga and played 20 minutes in the game. She had a great start, scoring all six of her points in the opening period.
Mackenzie Holmes also played more than Malonga, albeit barely, at 15 minutes off the bench. She gathered four rebounds, had two assists, but just one point.
Malonga and Fam played only six of the 40 minutes together. They scored six points in those six minutes on 2-10 FG. The team grabbed five rebounds with two offensive rebounds during that time. They finished -4 in plus/minus. Considering the team lost by 20 points overall, I suppose that isn’t bad.
The Advanced Stats says the team had a negative net rating of -30.9. Their OFF RTG was 60.0, and their DEF RTG was 90.9. This means that with the two of them on the court together, they would score 60 points on 100 possessions and give up nearly 91 points. Not great, but obviously, the sample size is far too small.
The most shocking thing was that in the game in general (not just their shared six minutes), the Storm were dominated inside the paint and low post. Minnesota outscored them 50 to 20. I thought Seattle should have a major advantage inside the paint, considering Natasha Howard at 6’2” is currently the Lynx’s tallest starter and best post player. Hopefully, Seattle is able to make improvements and feed the twin towers down low.
Coach Raman talked after the game to the media about playing Dom and Awa together.
“We knew we wanted to get to that pairing for sure. And there’s so much that we can build on and this is just, I mean, it was such a minimal amount of minutes today. So today is just about making it happen, right?
And getting it going and getting this started with the two of them on the floor together. Saw some really good things there, but those two have to learn how to play together. You know, they’ve never played together before. This was the very 1st time, and I think given that a lot of good things. We can start to see a little bit of the potential of what that could look like.” Raman stated.
Hopefully, we will see that more and more as the season progresses. It’s not going to be an instant success, but the potential is there. Fam and Malonga became the youngest frontcourt duo in WNBA history to play together on Saturday. They have the makings to be something very special. It’s just going to take time.
Player Interviews
Natisha Hiedeman and Jade Melbourne:
Coach’s Quotes
Postgame:
Notes:
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I never would have predicted the Lynx would have the best record with the roster they built. Certainly credit to Miles, but I give even more credit to Cheryl Reeves as a GM and coach. Every year, she seems to pick players that have a backup role -- Alanna Smith, Nia Coffey -- and turn them into All Stars. It makes me happy to see Natasha Howard playing at such a high level, too. Sue said on her podcast that Tash really focused on her workouts and nutrition this off-season and you can tell.
Lynx look like a steamroller. As excited as I was watching the 1st quarter, it felt very ominous the Lynx were only down 8 in the first quarter despite the deluge of 3s.
I too thought we might have an advantage in the front court with our size and speed to get out in transition on older defenders, but wily vets, way too many turnovers, and Olivia’s stellar passing squashed that. It feels like Olivia holds the ball out forever when she drives right but so clearly hard to stop if Horston couldn’t touch it and then Olivia seemed to have an answer to anything we threw at her after that. I think you’re on track with MVP talk.
And I completely agree about Flau’jae. My biggest two worries going into the year were not being able to pass into Dom/Awa and Flau’jae having to do too much. So far both a problem! You don’t want her to change her mentality but playing hero ball isn’t great for her development. It’ll be a tough thread to needle; may we find our own maestro at PG sooner than later!