Storm set WNBA Record in thrilling 111-100 victory over Chicago
Seattle picked up a key win late in the season!
(Chicago, Illinois) - That was one of the most exciting regular-season games I’ve ever seen! The Seattle Storm gave up 100 points and still managed to win by double-digits. Seattle set a new WNBA Record with 37 assists in the game while shooting nearly 59% (44-75 FG). They were clicking on all cylinders and a performance like the one we saw on Tuesday night should give Storm fans hope that the team (when at their very best) can beat any other team in the league.
The win was significant for a variety of reasons. Most notably, it means the Seattle Storm now just need one more victory to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“It was really fun to coach. I’ll have to start with the 37 assists. When you have a team sharing the basketball like that it’s hard to beat. That’s the first thing I said when we went into the locker room. I went around and shook their hands and reminded them of that because Chicago is a really good defensive and offensive team. It’s really good momentum going into these last couple of games to get it going here.” acting Head Coach Pokey Chatman said in her opening statement after the game.
Not only do the Storm inch closer to guaranteeing Seattle fans that Sue Bird will have playoff games at Climate Pledge Arena but this victory also gave them the season-series victory against the Chicago Sky (winning 2-1). It also proved that the team can go into Chicago and beat them late in the season. Something they will need to be able to do if these two teams face each other in the WNBA Semi-Finals or Finals. I spoke with acting Coach Pokey Chatman about the importance of this win.
“As we shrink our thinking, we really wanted to establish some things offensively. We’ve been a good defensive team this season, Top 2 or 3. We want to continue that. It’s when we add those other pieces and elements. We had 62-paint points and that’s not just post players. I’m excited about that. Anytime you can come in here, take one on the road, when you have to win against a top team it has to give them some confidence moving on to the next one. It’ll be another tough game on the road against a tough Minnesota team. We’ll have to make sure we’re ready for that.” she told me.
Seattle's offense was on fire! Six different players scored in double figures in this game. Breanna Stewart led the way with 25 points, nine rebounds, and five assists but she was far from the only one with an impressive night. Gabby Williams scored 21 points, dished out seven assists, four rebounds, and had three steals. Jewell Loyd finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Tina Charles added 14 points and seven rebounds. Ezi Magbegor added 13 points off the bench. And Sue Bird nearly had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high eight assists.
Not only did the Storm shoot 59% from the field overall but they shot nearly 46% (11-24 FG) from beyond the three-point line. On top of that, they were a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line. They scored an incredible 62 points in the paint which was 10 more than the Sky. Seattle also did a good job of protecting the ball as they committed nine turnovers while forcing Chicago into 13. The reserves also outscored Chicago’s 23-20.
The Chicago Sky
It’s not very common that you’ll see a team shoot 56% (39-70 FG) from the floor, have six different players score in double figures, and score 100 points and still lose the ball game. But that’s exactly what happened to Chicago.
Courtney Vandersloot was on fire scoring 28 points to lead the Sky in scoring. She also had a team-high seven assists. Kahleah Copper added 17 points and four rebounds. Candace Parker continues to have such an all-around game with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Emma Meesseman added 11 points and six rebounds. Allie Quigley (10 points) and Azura Stevens (12) were the other two players to score in double figures.
The Sky had 30 assists which was the 13th time in franchise history where they played a game and had 30 assists or more which is a WNBA record in itself. No other team has had that many games.
Chicago also out-rebounded Seattle 30-28 and had a 16-9 edge in fast break points.
Game Breakdown
Tina Charles got the Storm on the board first with a nice hook shot in the low post against Candace Parker. Seattle appeared to force Chicago into a shot-clock violation but the clock operators reset the clock. As Sue Bird was complaining, Courtney Vandersloot used a backdoor cut to get free to the rim. It was good to see Jewell Loyd make her first shot of the game as she rattled in a mid-range jumper.
Emma Meesseman hit a big three to put Chicago up by two. Both teams exchanged multiple baskets including Kahleah Copper, Breanna Stewart, and Tina Charles.
Sue Bird scored back-to-back baskets. First, she hit her patented mid-range jumper, then Charles got a steal and made an outlet pass to Bird for the wide-open layup. That put Seattle up 18-12 early. Parker made a difficult contested shot over the defense for Chicago. Bird found Gabby Williams down low for a layup. Then Vandersloot blew past her defender for another easy two points at the rim.
Seattle would go on an 11-3 run to extend their lead to 12 points at 31-19. Charles hit a pair of free throws, Jewell and Stewie each scored at the rim, and Gabby scored five consecutive points including getting fouled and completing the AND1 opportunity.
The Storm’s bench continued to produce for Seattle as Epiphanny Prince drove through the lane to get two and Briann January hit a jumper to cap off a 38-point first quarter performance. Seattle led Chicago 38-26 at the end of the first period.
Williams led the Storm with 10 points and Tina Charles added eight more. Both Kahleah Copper and Courtney Vandersloot added seven apiece for Chicago.
The second quarter started with Azura Stevens knocking down a corner three. Then the Storm’s bench would go on a 9-0 run. Ezi Magbegor was very active scoring six of those points and Stephanie Talbot connected on a three. Stevens and Charles would score points at each end after that. Allie Quigley and Candace Parker scored back-to-back baskets for Chicago to cut into the lead but then Talbot hit another three for Seattle to put them up 52-35.
Loyd hit a triple, then Seattle got another stop, then found Stewart cutting down the lane for a short shot. Jewell would hit another three-ball to give the Storm their first 20-point lead at 62-42.
Chicago would make another push late before the end of the first half outscoring Seattle 12-2. Copper hit a pair of free throws and Rebekah Gardner had an uncontested layup after cutting straight to the ball from a baseline out-of-bounds play. Stewart made a beautiful cut and Gabby placed the pass perfectly as Stewart finished at the rim. But Chicago would continue to apply pressure. Parker would hit a three and Vandersloot made back-to-back baskets.
Ezi Magbegor was able to score again on a nice drive, her 10th point of the first half. Chicago finished the first half on a 13-4 run to cut the Storm’s 20-point lead down to 11 at the midway point (66-55).
Jewell Loyd led the Storm with 14 points. Gabby Williams, Tina Charles, and Ezi Magbegor each contributed with 10 points apiece. Stewie added eight. Vandersloot led the Sky with 14 points and Parker chipped in with 10 more.
The Storm shot 67% (28-42 FG) through the first two quarters. Chicago didn’t lag too far behind hitting at a 56% (22-39 FG) clip. Seattle had the edge in rebounding (16-13) and assists (24-18) up to this point.
Bird got the scoring started in the 2nd half by knocking down a three. Parker and Loyd exchanged baskets. Vandersloot scored and then a three by Allie Quigley cut the Storm’s lead to single-digits.
After that, the Storm would go on another 12-2 run to extend their lead back to 19 points. Stewart scored five straight and then Gabby got to the foul line for two more. Charles scored on a layup and then Williams hit a three. The Storm would push their lead to 22 points with under three minutes left in the third period.
Then Kahleah Copper went to work as she used her speed and athleticism to get to the rim and through the defense multiple times. Chicago finished the third period on an 11-0 run. Seattle led 90-79 at the end of three quarters.
Ezi knocked down a corner three to begin the 4th quarter for the Storm. The Sky continued to make a run. Meesseman made two separate shots and Gardner would steal the ball away from Bird and was able to draw the foul.
Stevens got a layup but Jewell was able to draw a foul on the other end and connected on both free throws. Quigley scored again for Chicago to cut the deficit down to nine. Gabby Williams then scored back-to-back baskets including an impressive alley-oop layup from Briann January.
January would then take a crucial charge against Copper as she correctly predicted Copper would try the fancy Euro-Step and beat Kahleah to the spot. Stewie would sink another jumper after that to put the Storm up 14.
Vandersloot quickly scored, forced a steal, and got another layup to cut the deficit back down to ten at 101-91 with just under four minutes left to play. Chicago would cut it down to eight on a pair of Kahleah Copper free throws but would not get any closer.
Stewart got a layup and then a three to put the Storm up 106-95. Bird hit another triple after Vandersloot made two free throws. Williams found Stewart down low for another layup to give the Storm their 37th assist of the game.
Vandersloot dribbled the clock out and tossed up a three at the buzzer that went in. It didn’t change the outcome of the game but it did allow the Sky to hit the century mark. At the final buzzer, Seattle had won the game 111-100.
After the game, I spoke with Stewie about picking up the important win.
“We obviously know we’re finishing the season on the road. We knew this one was a big one for many reasons - for the series, for the standings, things like that. I think we just wanted to come out and we wanted to play well, we wanted to play hard. And just enjoy one another. We are a team that doesn’t mind going on the road but home court advantage is something we definitely want.” Stewart replied.
Additional Analysis
Seattle Has the Talent
This was the Seattle Storm at their very best! All five starters scored in double figures and the team got great contributions from their bench including 13 points from Ezi Magbegor and some critical shots from Stephanie Talbot. Against the Las Vegas Aces, that talent didn’t show up. At least not enough of it. In that game, only Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles scored in double figures. On Tuesday, everyone had moments that stood out.
Gabby Williams was electric driving to the rim, getting steals, and dishing out several assists. Gabby has so much untapped potential but we’ve seen her numbers go up and up in the latter half of this season. When Williams scores in double figures the Storm are 6-2 in those games. You know you’re going to get points from Breanna Stewart. You’re almost certainly going to get points from Jewell Loyd and/or Tina Charles. If you can also get double-digit scoring from Gabby the team is nearly unstoppable. She is a major X-Factor.
“It’s crazy because I always feel Gabby’s presence regardless of this pretty nice stat line she has right here. I’m happy to see some shots went down for her. What she allows us to do, we can switch her onto Slooty, she can guard Allie, she can guard Copper. She gives us so much defensively. But offensively she initiates a lot - she had seven assists. That’s the thing oftentimes people don’t talk about a lot. She’s very good at creating advantages for us. You nailed it, she’s the X-Factor and we’ll continue to utilize her as such.” Chatman said.
Stewie added to that.
“Her fingerprints being all over the game tonight - offensively and defensively. I think once she’s able to see the ball go into that basket whether that’s a layup, mid-range, or three - it continues to give her confidence. Whenever she’s going downhill and attacking it is hard to stop.” Stewart added.
Another X-Factor is Ezi Magbegor. Prior to Tuesday’s game against Chicago, I spoke with Coach Pokey Chatman about Magbegor and how her numbers have dropped quite a bit since Tina Charles replaced her in the starting lineup. I asked her what the coaches can do to help her increase her production in her “new” role off the bench.
“It’s easy to look at one set of numbers but sometimes as coaches, we’ll look at minutes played per those same numbers and if they’re being effective. Also, it’s a little bit more in-depth for us in terms of how she’s positively impacting the second unit that we’re trying to raise up the level that we know we’re going to need once we get into the playoffs. That’s the main thing for Ezi. She stays engaged. She’s still someone we can run something for, ATO. She’s really good in defensive schemes. You’ll notice the last few games, the rotations have changed be it foul trouble or because someone’s doing really well. The biggest thing is she’s found ways to stay productive in the minutes that she has been playing.” Chatman told me.
Well, Magbegor must have got the message because she was very impressive in this game against Chicago. She was aggressive, looking for her shot when she had the ball, and not being afraid to attack her defender in the paint. Ezi’s 13 points were the most she’s scored since July 12th; a game in which she started. It was also the first time Magbegor has reached double figures since coming off the bench.
After setting the new WNBA record with 37 assists, I spoke with Gabby Williams after the game about the team’s ball movement and why it was so good during this game.
“Obviously, we’ve had a lot of moving pieces this year and I think everything is starting to click. We all think we could still make some more adjustments to work on some things. But things are clicking more and more. Every game we’re making those reads better, we’re reading each other better. Finding those holes in the defense in every game. Today was a big confidence booster for everybody.” Williams told me.
If the Storm want to make a deep playoff run and certainly if they want to win their 5th championship, they’re going to need big contributions from multiple players each and every playoff game. They may not need six players to score in double figures but they will need players like Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor to contribute in similar ways as they did on Tuesday night.
If you combine them with the production of Seattle’s Big 3 plus Tina Charles and that’s enough talent to win the WNBA title.
Updated Playoff Scenarios
The Seattle Storm picked up a gigantic win in Chicago on Tuesday. They now need to win just one of their last two games to guarantee home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, Tuesday’s outcomes across the league taught us even more.
The Las Vegas Aces held on to defeat the Atlanta Dream 97-90. That’s important information because it means the Aces are three games ahead of the Storm with just two games left to play for both teams. There’s nothing Seattle can do to pass the Aces in the standings. Even if the Storm manage to defeat the Aces this upcoming Sunday.
Down in LA, we also saw the Connecticut Sun dismantle the Los Angeles Sparks by a final score of 97-71. With that victory, the Sun stay two games ahead of the Storm with just two left to play. But because Connecticut swept Seattle 3-0, they own the tiebreaker. That means the Storm are unable to move ahead of Connecticut either.
And we already knew they couldn’t get the #1 overall seed as they were too many games behind the Chicago Sky.
This means the Storm are locked into either the 4th or 5th seed. They can’t fall any further than the 5th seed as the Dallas Wings have 16 losses already and the Storm can’t finish any worse than 21-15.
The Washington Mystics are in the same boat as Seattle. They can only finish 4th or 5th. In order for the Mystics to earn home court advantage over the Storm, they need Seattle to lose both of the final two games and win both of their remaining games. The latter will be easier as they face the lowly Indiana Fever (5-29). Indiana hasn’t won a single game in nearly two months. You read that correctly! Their last victory was June 19th against the Chicago Sky of all teams.
The top three playoff seeds are still all up for grabs. Chicago leads Las Vegas by one game and the Aces lead the Connecticut Sun by just one game. Chicago plays their final two games on the road at Las Vegas and they finish the season at Phoenix. Las Vegas ends the season with two games at home against the Chicago Sky and the Seattle Storm. Connecticut’s final two games are again at Los Angeles and at home against the Minnesota Lynx.
Chicago faces Las Vegas on Thursday. The winner of that game will take over the top seed and own the season-series tiebreaker. The Sky own the season-series against Connecticut so they can’t fall any further than the two seed. Connecticut could still pass Las Vegas if they win out and the Aces lose both remaining games.
Jersey Count
The Storm were back in their more traditional Green and Gold “Explorer” uniforms and never looked better. They picked up a critical win at Chicago and improved their record to 4-4 overall while wearing this specific jersey set. Overall, Seattle improves to 21-13 and has put themselves in a good position to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Storm need to win just one of their final two games (@ Minnesota, @ Las Vegas) or they need the Washington Mystics to lose one more game this season (both games against the Indiana Fever). The Chicago Sky remain as the #1 seed (25-9), followed by the Las Vegas Aces (24-10), and the Connecticut Sun (23-11). The Washington Mystics (20-14) are close behind Seattle.
Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 7-3
Explorer: 4-4
Heroine: 10-6
Overall Record: 21-13
Up Next
More road games. The Storm travel to Minnesota to face the Lynx on Friday, August 12th at 6:00 PM (PDT). Minnesota will be fighting for their playoff lives and it’ll also be Sylvia Fowles's final home game of her career. There’s going to be a ton of energy in that building but Seattle has a lot to play for. If the Storm can pick up the win, they will clinch home court advantage in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
Notes:
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Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography Team
Thanks for all the great support! Please tell other Storm fans about my coverage!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on my comments above re: Gabby @WNBAStormChaser!
Wow! That was an amazing game from start to finish. I loved Gabby's energy and ability to make big plays. 7 assists was impressive. She's starting to show a real take-charge attitude which is great. Gabby has a very quick first step which helps her slash to the basket. I can't help but think that Gabby could be an excellent PG for us and may be the heir-apparent to our wonderful, lovable great Sue Bird. She had previously played some PG for Chicago apparently and didn't like it, but she's come a long ways since those days. She may now be ready to take on that level of responsibility. What do you guys think? I'd love to see that happen!