Storm dream of a sweep over Atlanta 91-88
The Seattle Storm defeated the Atlanta Dream for a third time this season completing the season series sweep.
(Everett, WA) - After dropping two games back-to-back last week the Storm got back in the winner’s circle after an excitingly close contest against the Atlanta Dream at home. Seattle prevailed by three with a final score of 91-88. The victory completed the season sweep over Atlanta as the team has previously defeated the Dream twice in the month of June 95-71 and 86-75.
“Another grind it out and hard-fought game. I thought our bench did excellent today. We had a lot of contributions from everyone, you know. Rebounding was key for us. We outrebounded our opponent, we got to the free throw line, and just, at the end of the game, a couple of great players making some great plays for us. Overall, a very good effort against the Atlanta Dream, which was playing at a high level with guards who are very hard to contain. We'll take this one [victory] and grow from it.” Coach Noelle Quinn told the media in her opening statement after the game.
This game was the closest between the two teams with Seattle never leading by more than ten points. It was actually pretty similar to the Las Vegas Aces game last Sunday, where Seattle led throughout but could never put the game out of reach. Every time Seattle built a seven-to-nine-point lead, the Dream would rally and cut it back down to three or less. Fortunately, for the Storm, they were able to hold onto this victory and improved their record to 13-4.
Sue Bird led Seattle with 15 points including shooting 5-7 (71%) from beyond the arc. That was particularly nice to see considering she had really been struggling with her shot over the past two games (2-13 from long distance over the previous two games).
I talked to Bird after the game about breaking out of her shooting slump.
“All I do [during] the offseason is shoot, shoot and shoot. So, even if they're not dropping in, you just got to keep it the same. When you're open, just keep it knotted up there. So today, I think, it was a good time for our whole team to really get back on track in that department. Because, you know, shooting 60% is pretty good.” Bird said.
Coach Quinn added, “She's the G.O.A.T. She's the best. [She is] one of the best to play the game in my opinion, and the best point guard to play the game. She hit a couple of big and timely shots. Again, that's just a testament to the work that she puts in. She is a big shot taker and maker, and obviously our general. That's a good day in the office for her. She's a great leader.”
It truly was a team effort in this game with five players scoring in double figures, seven players scoring eight or more, and all ten players scoring at least five points.
Surprisingly, both Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd struggled to score in this game. Stewart had a very poor shooting night going 2-11 from the field with her only two makes being from the three-point line. Stewie finished with a season-low nine points and just six rebounds.
Loyd didn’t even attempt a field goal until there were three minutes left in the game which is a startling fact. Loyd was hounded all game by double-teams a strategy multiple teams have now used to slow down the All-Star shooting guard.
While she didn’t shoot much, she did shoot well knocking down three of her four attempts and all four of her free throws. Loyd was clutch scoring six of the team’s final 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Mercedes Russell had another strong game with 10 points and seven rebounds. She also knocked down 80% of her shots (4-5).
The bench played absolutely fantastic in this game and really picked the team up with Loyd and Stewart struggling to score like they normally do. The reserves scored a season-high 39 points with Ezi Magbegor (12 points) and Stephanie Talbot (10 points) leading the way. All five players played really well. Epiphanny Prince and Kennedy Burke hit some big threes in the game. Jordin Canada did a great job attacking the basket. She also had four assists and two steals. And a beautiful fastbreak play when Ezi won a jump ball and tipped to as far as she could that allowed Canada to race to the other end for the easy two.
I asked Coach Quinn to speak specifically about the efforts of Magbegor and Talbot after the game.
“I think Steph has been very consistent for us all year on the defensive end as well as on the offensive end. And, you know, the athletic ability to stretch the floor with her three-point shooting really fits our system. And then Ezi again staying the course. Just a big, big presence defensively, rebounding, showing us the blocking shots and running the floor, getting to the free throw line, and things of that nature. I think, you know, it is just a testament again to the work that they both put in. And then when preparation meets opportunity, we all know what happens.” Quinn said.
Seattle finished the game shooting 48% (30-62) and 64% (14-22) from the three-point range. The Storm held a huge advantage at the foul line (the complete opposite of what happened against Vegas). They knocked down 17-22 from the free throw line while Atlanta made just 6-8 from the charity stripe. The home team outrebounded Atlanta 33-31 and limited the Dream to just seven offensive rebounds; the Dream had 16 O-Boards in the first matchup between these two.
Because the game was so close, it’s not surprising that Atlanta’s players also played really well in this game. They had four players score in double figures with Courtney Williams leading the Dream with 20 points. She also had a near triple-double with eight rebounds and seven assists. Crystal Bradford had a new career-high scoring 17 points. She also handed out seven assists which were tied with Williams for the game-high.
Atlanta’s Head Coach Mike Peterson spoke about how well Courtney Williams has been playing of late.
“Her confidence level is super high. And her teammates have great confidence in her. The coaching staff has big confidence in her and so she's playing like somebody that is a very good player and everyone has a lot of confidence in. I just thought it wasn't just the shots she made, she passed the ball great and had a ton of assists. She rebounds the ball amazingly for someone her size so she's not just a scorer. I think people have this perception that she was just kind of this stat-producing scorer and she's not. She's got great basketball IQ, she can really pass it and, for her size, she is a great rebounder.” he said.
Bradford has had a great career resurgence in Atlanta this season. She’s averaging over eight points, three rebounds, and 1.5 assists and steals per game. Before this season, she had only played in the WNBA one year back in 2015. It is a true testament to never give up on your dreams and to always keep working hard to get where you want to be in life. Her story really is one that needs to be highlighted even more than it has.
Elizabeth Williams and former Seattle Storm first-round pick Tianna Hawkins were the other two players to score in double figures with 10 points each. Chennedy Carter, who did not play against Seattle in the first two games this season due to an elbow injury, managed just nine points on a poor shooting night (4-12). Even still, she displayed some of her lightning-quick speed getting to the basket for some of her points.
Cartner went to the bench with six minutes remaining in the game and did not return. Atlanta’s coach talked about that decision after the game.
“She's fine and you know when I took her out, I meant to put her back in, frankly, but then as soon as I subbed in, and through no fault of Chennedy’s, things started clicking. That group that was in there was really defending and was playing very well and were making plays. I just decided to go with that group, and they played great down the stretch. I talked to Chennedy after the game and I told her you didn't do anything wrong and I meant to put you back in, but that group was playing so well together. And then she'd been out a while so I just went with the group on the floor because they'd been playing well.” Coach Peterson said.
“We played really well tonight. I know a lot of people played really well for us tonight. You know I'm kicking myself … (Courtney Williams) got a decent look, but I didn't do a good enough job getting us a good look on that last play, and I'm kicking myself for that, but just very happy with our effort. We came on the road and played the best team in our league to a one-possession game. And frankly, if we just rebounded that one miss at the end that [Jewell] Loyd tips and it's a different outcome probably, but our effort was really good and for the most part, our focus was good. In the second half, we defended better than the first half.” he added.
Game Breakdown
Breanna Stewart got the Storm on the board first with a three-ball. She would go 1-10 the rest of the game.
Stewie then had a beautiful pass to Mercedes Russell for an easy layup down low.
Katie Lou Samuelson had a nice hustle play forcing a jump ball when it appeared that Atlanta had successfully pulled down the defensive rebound.
Lou would win the tip and after an Atlanta foul, Seattle would find Bird in the corner for a three to give Seattle the 8-5 edge early on.
Chennedy Carter had a beautiful drive blazing past Seattle’s defense for the layup. Courtney Williams then knocked down a baseline jumper to give Atlanta the 9-8 lead.
The teams swapped leads multiple times throughout the first quarter. Jordin Canada had an acrobatic reverse layup to give Seattle a three-point lead 17-14. Tianna Hawkins scored five quick points and Courtney Williams hit a jumper over Ezi’s long arms to give Atlanta the 21-17 lead with under two minutes to play in the opening quarter.
Another former Storm first-round pick, Shekinna Stricklen knocked down a three snapping her own personal 0-16 streak. It gave Atlanta their largest lead of the game at 24-19 with under a minute in the first period.
Ezi Magbegor hit her own triple, something she’s added to her game this season. Prince then found her at the end of the period for a layup where she was fouled, connecting on one of two free throws. Magbegor finished the quarter leading Seattle with eight points.
“This is probably going to be a key thing going into the rest of the season. You know, the starters do a great job of starting the game and I think we kind of have to maintain that. So, hopefully, we can come in and bring that energy. I think that's important. The 39 points were great tonight just to help that side of things.” Magbegor said after the game.
However, Atlanta led overall 24-23 after one.
The 2nd quarter started out with a beautiful spin move layup by Stephanie Talbot. Another three by Epiphanny Prince extended Seattle’s lead to 28-24 as they started the quarter on a 5-0 run forcing Atlanta to call timeout.
Mercedes Russell muscled her way in the low post for two. While Chennedy Carter hit another reverse layup.
One of the standout plays of the game was when Sue Bird went to double team Cheyenne Parker who didn’t see her and Bird managed to rip the ball away for the steal. Sue raced down the court and hit Kennedy Burke for an easy layup to put Seattle up four at 35-31.
Chennedy Carter sent a filthy pass to Odyssey Sims for another reverse layup.
Prince hit another three at the top of the key. Seattle got another defensive stop and Sue Bird spun away from the defender who tried to intercept the passing lane. With Bird able to get away she knocked down another three as Seattle pushed their lead to 10 (their largest lead of the game) 43-33 with just under five minutes to play in the first half. It capped off a 13-2 by Seattle.
After Talbot scored on a fastbreak by Seattle, Crystal Bradford put Talbot in the spin cycle and cleared her out of the way for an easy layup in the paint. It was an impressive maneuver.
Jewell Loyd was held scoreless in the first half until the final thirty-five seconds when she drew a foul driving down the lane. Loyd knocked down both free throws.
After leading by ten at 43-33, Atlanta outscored Seattle 14-7 to end the first half.
Seattle led 50-47 at the midway point. Sue Bird led the team with nine points on three made triples. Stewart and Ezi Magbegor each had eight points. Atlanta was led by Crystal Bradford through the first two quarters scoring 10 points in the opening half.
Mercedes stole an offensive rebound away and scored with a putback layup. Loyd then drove to the rim and drew another foul against Atlanta connecting on both foul attempts. The quick 4-0 burst put Seattle back up seven at 54-47 just one minute into the second half.
Loyd then, unfortunately, appeared to land on Chennedy Carter’s foot while trying to defend the shot. Jewell was able to recover and would continue to play the rest of the game.
Every time Seattle looked like they might push their lead back up to double digits, Atlanta would go on a 4-0 or 6-0 run.
Chennedy Carter continued to blow by Seattle’s defenders. Carter may be the fastest player in the league. Her first step certainly has to be in the Top 3.
Jordin Canada had back-to-back assists that spurred the Storm to an eight-point lead. First, she had a shifty dribble mesmerizing the defenders where she then found Ezi down low for the easy two. She then raced down the court after a defensive rebound by Stewart, dribbled, attacked, and found Stephanie Talbot who quickly released and knocked down a three to put Seattle up 67-59 forcing Atlanta to call timeout.
The bench continued to push the pace with Talbot collecting the rebound, pushing the ball up to Ezi who found Katie Lou Samuelson in the corner for another three-ball. Seattle went up ten again at 73-63 with under a minute to play in the third period.
At the end of three, the Storm led 73-65. The 2nd and 3rd quarters were the difference in the game. Seattle outscored Atlanta 27-23 in the 2nd and 23-18 in the 3rd.
Early into the 4th quarter, Ezi tied up Crystal Bradford to force another jump ball. She then smartly tipped it past all the Atlanta players to Jordin who raced down the court for the easy layup.
Bird found Kennedy Burke in the corner for a three right as the shot clock buzzer sounded. They reviewed the play and the refs determined Burke got the shot off in time. That three would be huge with this game coming down to the wire.
Courtney Williams with some shifty moves knocking down shots over Sue Bird and 6’6” Mercedes Russell. She also connected on a wide-open pull-up jumper. A personal 6-0 run by Williams cut Seattle’s lead to just one at 79-78 with three and a half minutes left to play.
Bird hit a clutch three on the next possession to put the Storm back up four. Jewell Loyd then hit her first shot of the game (it was technically her first shot attempt as her others resulted in fouls being called). Loyd’s running floater in the lane put Seattle up six forcing Atlanta to call another timeout. Coach Noelle Quinn was pumped up as she gave Loyd a little shove and words of encouragement.
Crystal Bradford hit another three cutting Seattle’s lead to one at 84-83. But Sue Bird responded with another clutch triple. Courtney Williams punched back with a three of her own making it 87-86.
Loyd drove aggressively to the basket for another shot in the lane. She missed but quickly jumped back up over two Atlanta defenders and tipped it back in to give Seattle 89-86.
Williams for Atlanta responded with another long two. Williams scored 11 points on 5-7 FG in the 4th quarter alone. She nearly willed the Dream to a victory.
For Seattle’s final possession, Jewell went iso, Mercedes Russell set a screen on Courtney Williams that switched Cheyenne Parker onto Loyd. Jewell then crossed her over and attacked with the left-hand finishing at the rim to put Seattle up three, 91-88.
The Storm did not foul on the final possession up three, but we later learned that they were supposed to. Although Coach Quinn pointed out that Courtney took the shot so quickly, it was probably best that they did not.
The TV copy of the game caught a hilarious moment where Sue Bird gave Jordin Canada the death stare after Seattle secured the defensive rebound. Canada called it a teaching moment after the game.
Atlanta outscored Seattle 23-18 in the 4th quarter. To their credit, they battled hard to the very end.
“We’re not intimidated by Seattle. There’s nothing intimidating about Seattle. I just think we both were scoring, towards the end. Nobody got stops and they were just the last ones to score.” Crystal Bradford said after the game.
Additional Analysis
The biggest piece of news actually came before the game today when the Seattle Storm announced that they had released Candice Dupree. It was shocking news mostly because she had a guaranteed contract for $170,000, the third-highest on the team only behind Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Meaning Seattle would have to pay it and it counts against the salary cap (which is a huge chunk of the cap), whether she’s on the team or not.
I have a lot of thoughts on the signing, Dupree’s performance on this team, and her subsequent release from the team halfway through the season, but it’ll have to wait a little longer. I plan to put out a full article on it hopefully by the end of the weekend, so keep an eye out for it.
For now, I’ll leave you with this. During Friday’s pre-game press conference with Coach Noelle Quinn, she gave an opening statement about the roster move, and then the media was told there would be no follow-up questions about the matter. Her statement is below.
“Candice is an amazing player. This in particular was a mutual agreement. It just didn’t quite fit for both sides. I just really appreciate the time and what she gave to us. Now it’s about transitioning looking onward to our next opponent today which is Atlanta.” Coach Quinn said.
Jersey Count
The Storm improved to an extremely impressive 7-0 while wearing their white and green Heroine jerseys this season. I think it’s safe to say that if the Storm make it to the WNBA Finals or if they’re in a playoff elimination game, they better be wearing these lucky green and white uniforms!
Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 3-3
Explorer: 3-1
Heroine: 7-0
Overall Record: 13-4
Up Next
The Seattle Storm will face the Los Angeles Sparks next in LA on Sunday. The game will be at 6:00 PM and will air nationally on NBA TV. Seattle has not faced the Sparks (6-10) yet this season. The remaining four games before the Olympic break are all Commissioner’s Cup games as they will face Los Angeles and Phoenix in back-to-back home and away splits. Seattle needs to win all four games in order to guarantee their spot in the Commissioner’s Cup. Otherwise, Las Vegas can replace Seattle in the Tournament Championship game if Vegas wins out and Seattle loses.
Editor’s Note: Thank you for your support! If you know any Storm fans that aren’t currently aware of my coverage through Substack and Twitter (@WNBAStormChaser), please let them know. Word of mouth can be super helpful and is greatly appreciated! Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography.
I’m looking forward to your piece on Dupree. Thanks for your usual great coverage.