Storm get revenge over the Aces in 88-78 win

Seattle ties the season series 1-1.

(Seattle, WA) - For a Wednesday night, that sure was fun! It’s always a fun matchup when the Las Vegas Aces come to town. While it’s true it’s just a regular season game in June, this one felt bigger than that. With an electric crowd, this one had a playoff atmosphere.

Vegas came into the game with the best record in the WNBA. But after falling to Seattle by a final score of 88-78, Las Vegas has now lost three of their last four games. They’ve fallen into a tie with the Chicago Sky (14-5). The Storm are just two games back of the number one overall seed (12-7) with 17 games left to play.

The second half of this WNBA season is going to be really exciting as there are five teams that appear to be head and shoulders above the rest: Chicago, Las Vegas, Connecticut, Seattle, and Washington. The rest of the teams all have losing records.

“From top to bottom, everyone contributed in a great way. I thought we weathered runs. I thought we were locked in defensively. We shot the ball well, obviously. But it was an effort that was on both sides of the ball, which was amazing to see against an opponent that is one of the top rated teams. I’m pleased with everyone and glad to get on track.” Coach Quinn said in her opening statement.

The Storm had four players score in double figures. Jewell Loyd bounced back after a horrible game against Los Angeles to lead all scorers with 24 points. Loyd made 4-6 FG from the 3-PT range and 6-6 FT.

I talked with Noelle about Jewell’s ability to bounce back so quickly after struggling against Los Angeles to being the leading scorer in this game against Vegas.

“She’s eight years in. She’s seen a lot of defenses. She’s seen traps, pressure defense. Working her mind and her body to be able to be at her best. It’s another testament to how resiliant she is. The learning curve, for her to understand how to be at her best for our team. It wasn’t just her scoring. Jewell was great defensively. Guarding Jackie, being physical. To me, to marry the two, no matter what she scored today. I thought that effort was great and I like to see that no matter what the ball is doing.” Quinn answered.

Stephanie Talbot had one of her best games of the season scoring 15 points off the bench with a very efficient 6-9 FG including 3-5 FG from beyond the arc. Talbot also played excellent defense against Kelsey Plum for portions of the game.

I spoke with Coach Quinn after the game about Talbot’s performance.

“I thought she played amazing. I think Tina helps that a lot because she’s going to get so much attention. Steph is able to utilize her skillset to shoot the three into the rim. I thought she was very poised in transition. I thought she was locked in defensively. Her athleticism, her physicality, she was guarding Plum the majority of her minutes. The attentiveness to detail, making sure she’s getting into Plum’s body, getting over screens, she was very locked in.” Quinn told me.

Breanna Stewart struggled offensively in this game making just 4-14 FG but hit two clutch threes late in the game to help put Seattle ahead for good. Stewie finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots.

Sue Bird added 13 points and six assists.

Seattle’s defense was exceptional holding the WNBA’s best offense to under 40% shooting (29-73 FG). The Storm also forced them into 20 total turnovers including multiple shot clock violations. They scored 23 points off the Aces’ turnovers. Seattle also had a 13-5 edge in fast break points.

“There was a concerted effort to get into bodies. Obviously, dealing with amazing shooters and guards who can handle the ball off of ball screens - just to be at the level of the screen. What happened was our activity level, we were on a string, we were helping one another. That played into us getting deflections and turning them over which is very hard to do.” Coach Quinn said.

“We executed our game plan. Whether we were switching, trapping, we just made sure they never knew what we were going to do. Once they read certain things, we switched it up on the fly. You have to be unpredictable sometimes on defense because everyone is so good. People pick up on things so quickly. Chelsea Gray is such a great point guard, she has such a feel for the game. Throwing different looks at all of their guards helped a lot. We were so active in covering up certain mistakes and being super active. It was a credit to our energy tonight.” Loyd added.

The Las Vegas Aces

No real surprise the Aces were led by MVP-favorite A’ja Wilson. Wilson had a monster game with 17 points and 16 rebounds. However, Seattle did a solid job limiting her to 6-16 FG. Las Vegas did have very balanced scoring with five players scoring in double figures. Kelsey Plum scored 16 points but committed a game-high six turnovers. Jackie Young continues to impress with 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Chelsea Gray nearly had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high eight assists. Iliana Rupert, who just joined the team a few games ago, scored a career-high 11 points off the bench including nine in the first quarter.

Las Vegas outrebounded Seattle 40-33 including an 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass. This allowed them to hold a 13-0 edge in 2nd chance points.

“We threw the ball around the gym a lot tonight. Give their defense credit, they caused a lot of chaos, they are very good at creating turnovers. We didn’t handle that too well. As far as I know, they’re a tough team as long as Sue Bird has a jersey on. A tough arena to play in. It’s tough to overcome 23 points off turnovers and that’s regardless of the gym you’re in.” Coach Becky Hammon said in her opening statement to the media.

After the game, I asked Coach Hammon about A’ja’s impressive double-double performance.

“She’s a monster in there. She just does so many good things for us on both ends of the court. She really is our anchor. She’s been exceptional the whole year and she plays well in big games quite frankly. It would have been nice to maybe have just 10 turnovers so we had 10 more shots at the basket. The turnovers on the road are such a killer because it’s really 20 opportunities away from you and 20 opportunities they hit. The turnovers hit you on both ends, both offensively and defensively. You’re giving a very good offensive team another crack at it. A lot of those are just wide-open layups from live-ball turnovers so those are tough. A’ja, she understands what it takes to win. She’s such a luxury to have as a leader because I know she’s in there talking right now. It makes my job easier when you have leadership like I have in her along with Chelsea and the rest of them. We move on and we have a couple of more road games. You just have to weather the storm at the end of the day, no pun intended.” Hammon answered.

Later, I spoke with A’ja about the game’s playoff-like atmosphere and how a game like this can help prepare them for the postseason even if the result was a loss.

“Oh yeah, for sure! That’s exactly what we said in the huddle. We have work to do. We haven’t won anything. We know we haven’t won anything. But at the end of the day, it’s all about us and our principles. If we can stick to those, we will have a better outcome and a better showing on both the offensive and defensive sides. At the end of the day, every game in the W is going to be hard. Every game is going to feel like a playoff game because everyone wants to beat our ass. We want to beat their ass as much as they want to beat us. We have to give credit to Seattle. They took care of business so we have some work to do.” Wilson told me.

Game Breakdown

A’ja Wilson was able to draw a foul against Ezi Magbegor less than a minute into the game and knocked down both free throws. Jewell Loyd got the Storm on the board with a three-pointer. Chelsea Gray backed Sue Bird into the low post and easily scored over her. Vegas is such a tough matchup for Bird defensively because of the size and speed of their guards.

There must have been something on the scout because Vegas jumped into the passing lanes against Seattle picking up three quick steals in the game.

Magbegor picked up her 2nd foul less than two minutes into the game which forced her to the bench. This allowed Tina Charles to check into the game almost immediately, receiving a loud standing ovation from the Storm home crowd.

Kelsey Plum and Sue Bird exchanged three-point baskets. Bird’s second three of the first period put the Storm up 12-11. Bird then jumped the passing lane against Plum and went coast to coast for the easy two.

Tina Charles scored her first basket as a member of the Storm with a nice short jump hook.

The Aces then went on a 9-0 run including six points from rookie Iliana Rupert who just joined the team a few days ago. That put Las Vegas up 22-17.

Stephanie Talbot buried a three to temporarily stop the bleeding. Epiphanny Prince also made a three but Rupert knocked down another, her third of the first quarter to put Vegas up 27-23 at the end of the opening frame. Rupert led all scorers with nine points. Sue Bird led the Storm with eight points.

Both Ezi and Jewell had to sit on the bench for most of the first quarter as they both picked up two fouls each.

Breanna Stewart scored her first points of the game to begin the 2nd quarter. Seattle then got a stop and then Stewie found Lavender up top for a three. The quick five points by the Storm put them up 28-27.

Seattle’s lead didn’t last as Kelsey Plum made a quick three. Loyd responded with her own three. It was a three-point barrage as A’ja Wilson then made one. Chelsea Gray then hit a spinning turnaround jumper. Wilson then was able to draw another shooting foul to cap off a 7-0 run by Las Vegas.

Talbot was able to get a fast break layup and was knocked to the ground by A’ja Wilson. The refs swallowed their whistles inexplicably. Seattle got another steal and Jewell was hacked at the rim. Bird then tied the game at 39-39 with a pull-up jumper.

Vegas finished the half on an 8-5 run. Dearica Hamby got two layups, Wilson made a short hook, and Gray hit a smooth jumper. The Aussie connection of Talbot and Magbegor scored the final five points for Seattle.

A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 11 points in the first half. Kelsey Plum and Iliana Rupert each added nine points. Sue Bird and Stephanie Talbot led the Storm with 10 points apiece. Jewell Loyd added eight points for Seattle. The Aces’ defense held Stewie, Ezi, and Tina Charles in check. All three of them scored just two points (six total) in the first half.

Seattle got off to a nice start in the third period scoring six straight to take a 50-47 lead. Gabby had four of those points including a corner shot and a nice drive. Loyd added to it with a tough drive past Plum and over Wilson. Seattle got a steal and Bird drilled a three. Jewell hit another triple to cap off a 14-0 run that left Vegas stunned.

Jackie Young ended the run by burying a three and then connecting on a pull-up jumper. A’ja Wilson scored as well to help Vegas cut the lead to four. Vegas would go on their own 13-2 run to tie the game at 60-60 with 1:23 left in the third quarter. Rupert and Gray also got layups during that span.

Tina Charles got an offensive rebound and made a put-back layup. She also helped free up Talbot on a screen where Talbot buried the jumper. Chelsea Gray made a beautiful pass near the end of the third period to find a cutting Jackie Young who converted the short shot.

Talbot hit a three to begin the 3rd quarter but Riquna Williams responded on the other end. Williams then hit another corner three. Then Kelsey Plum buried another three to put Las Vegas back up by three at 70-67. The Aces went on an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead.

Chelsea Gray with another nice mid-range jumper. Then Jewell Loyd hit a corner three to tie the game at 72-72.

Ezi smartly drove to the rim after Vegas made an aggressive closeout to stop her from taking the three. Jewell then made a beautiful stepback jumper to put the Storm up four points. Breanna Stewart then hit a three to make it 79-72.

After A’ja Wilson converted a layup to cut Seattle’s lead to five, Stewart hit another three on the next possession to put the Storm up eight points with two minutes left in the game. From there, Kelsey Plum and Jewell Loyd exchanged multiple baskets. Loyd’s jumper with 33 seconds left sealed the victory.

Talbot got a steal off a bad pass from Jackie Young and got the ball to Loyd who was quickly fouled. Jewell sank both free throws and Seattle got one last stop to finish the game with a ten-point victory, 88-78.

The Storm finished the final six minutes of the 4th quarter on a 16-6 run to close out the game.

Coach Quinn talked about what she saw from that final run.

“I remember in that spurt, a couple of back-to-back shots from Stewie. Taking her time, working the mismatches with their switches. Jewell making excellent reads. But also, the shot clock violations, the contested shots, hands on balls, and finishing plays with rebounds. And not fouling at the end of those possessions.” Quinn answered.

I followed that up by asking Coach Quinn if she felt Seattle’s high pace wore the Aces out towards the end because the Storm outscored them 44-31 in the 2nd half.

“It’s hard to say because they are a high-paced team. I think our depth is amazing, our depth helped aid in that. You watch them on film, they’re at a high pace all the time. I’m not sure our pace affected them that much. I think it was more so that we were locked into our schemes and (us) hitting shots.” Quinn added.

Jewell added her own feedback.

“We got stops, that was a big part of how we were able to get good shots. We were aggressive on both ends. We were able to get stops and push, that’s the best version of ourselves. At one point, I think we got seven stops in a row and that really fueled our offense.” Loyd answered.

“Our defense, we were just so active. We were able to affect a lot of their shots and a lot of their momentum. I felt like we had great effort off our bench. They came in and pushed our tempo. We never stopped. That’s something that we’re known for in Seattle, pushing the tempo and pace. We know teams will get tired in the 4th quarter. That’s when we have to keep going. We did that tonight and it definitely showed.” Jewell stated.

The Seattle media also got to interview the Aces after the game and got their perspective.

I asked Coach Becky Hammon what stood out the most during the final six minutes.

“Jewell. Stewie. Sue. That’s a championship-caliber team that closed well. I thought we made quite a few mistakes down the stretch on stuff that could be solved as easily as opening your mouth and talking to each other. But we didn’t do that. When Jewell, has big games for them they become really problematic quite frankly. I thought overall, Talbot came in and hurt us a bit. Basically, I thought they kicked our ass.” Coach Hammon told me.

I spoke with A’ja Wilson about that as well on what stood out towards the end of the game.

“Our turnovers. That’s the game right there. We have to give Seattle credit of course. They shot the ball extremely well. Seattle’s always been the team that’s going to do that. They don’t need our help making them even better. Our turnovers really stood out, we have to get a better handle on that. Especially when they go on runs. At the end of the day, I think it was more so on us than anything.” Wilson added.

Additional Analysis

Sue Bird Makes History … Again!

It shouldn’t come as much surprise but Sue Bird continues to set WNBA records in her 19th active season in the WNBA (21st overall). Bird already owns multiple records in the WNBA including Most Games Played, Most Assists All-Time, Most All-Star Appearances, and more. She’s also Top 8 in scoring, Top 5 in steals, and Top 2 in 3-PT FG made. She can now add Most Wins in WNBA history (324) surpassing Lindsay Whalen (323).

Bird continues to add to her legacy in what will be her final year.

“That’s amazing. She’ll probably say it’s because she’s old. That’s always her response. It’s the longevity of an amazing player. To have such an impact on the game. It’s not only the assists with Sue, it’s making big plays, big shots. I thought she played great defense tonight. The intangibles she brings. She’s the GOAT. An amazing player with a long career and deserving of every single record she’s about to break.” Quinn told the media.

Coach Becky Hammon gave her take on Sue’s milestone as well.

“It says she’s been on a lot of good teams for a very long time. She’s always the head of the snake, I mean that in a good way. She is who she is for a reason. She just repeatedly makes the right play. Whatever that is, maybe it’s her shooting, maybe it’s her dumping it. Whatever the defense is taking away she makes the read and she goes the other way. You can’t stop it all.” Hammon praised Bird.

Slowly Incorporating Tina Charles

Would Tina Charles call that a successful game? It’s hard to say. It certainly isn’t the type of game she’s used to. With just a single practice before Wednesday’s contest against the Aces, Charles was limited in her playing time to just 16 minutes off the bench. It was the first time in her career that she didn’t start for her team, ending a streak of 373 consecutive games. Charles scored just four points on 2-8 FG shooting. She also had five rebounds.

That wasn’t a typical Tina Charles performance that was for certain. But ultimately, she came out a winner. That may prove to be more important than any individual accomplishment. Charles joined the Seattle Storm because it was the team that had a need for her services and could give her one of the best opportunities to win a WNBA title. Something that has eluded her during her illustrious career.

Wednesday night, was a great start as her team secured a double-digit victory over the league’s best team.

Charles will certainly get better with the Storm as she actually has time to learn the team’s concepts. Even as a veteran, she’ll need that practice time to learn her new teammates and their schemes.

But that’s what makes the acquisition of Charles so timely. It’s not what she’s able to do for them in Game 1. It’ll be how she can help this team in August toward the end of the season and into the playoffs. There were just small glimpses of it on Wednesday night. There’s the potential for a whole lot more down the road.

Coach Quinn spoke on what she saw from her in Game 1.

“She’s going to garner a lot of attention, double-teams. Just her understanding of the game. There’s a play in my mind where she’s wide open but she hits Steph on the wing for a three. I think adapting to the way we play automatically is good to see. Are we going to get her into spots? Yeah, to be successful we have to work through that. But to have a player of that caliber on the floor, that’s going to help everybody else.” She said.

“This was her first couple of days of her working into our systems. I felt bad sometimes because we’re calling plays, then I was like ‘dang, I forgot, she doesn’t know that one yet.’ She was amazing. Her positivity, her unselfishness, her understanding of where she can pick and choose her spots. As the season goes, we’ll see how we can best utilize her.” Quinn added.

Jersey Count

The Storm were in their “Rebel” black and gray uniforms. They’ve continued to play well in these jerseys this season improving to 6-2 after picking up the win. That actually ties their record with the “Rebel” blacks from the 2021 season where they finished 6-5 (including the playoffs). Seattle remains the 4th overall seed in the league’s standings behind the Chicago Sky (14-5), the Las Vegas Aces (14-5), and the Connecticut Sun (13-7).

Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 6-2
Explorer: 1-3
Heroine: 5-2
Overall Record: 12-7

Up Next

The Storm finish up this homestand against the Indiana Fever on Friday, July 1st at 7:00 PM. This will be the first time they face Indiana this season. Indiana has continued to struggle as they try to rebuild after Tamika Catchings retired. They’ve had some bright moments this season but still have the worst record in the WNBA (5-16). Seattle needs to capitalize on their big win against Las Vegas by taking care of business against the Fever.

Notes:
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