Storm Soar Past Sky 79-69

Seattle snaps six-game home losing streak.

By: Jack Norris

(Seattle, Washington) - The Seattle Storm (22-19) glided past the Chicago Sky (9-30) at Climate Pledge Arena, in a game that never felt out of the Storm’s hands. The Storm were without star rookie Dominique Malonga, who missed tonight’s affair with a left wrist injury. Despite the win, the Storm felt the loss of Malonga, as they were outrebounded 37-28. Notably, the physicality of Sky forward Angel Reese impacted the Storm in the paint and on the boards. Her 20 points and 10 rebounds were game highs. Although the Storm offense was not particularly efficient on the night, shooting just 41.5% (27-65), they were able to get production from a plethora of players as every starter finished with double-digit scoring. 

Nneka Ogwumike led the way again for the Storm with 20 points, followed by Ezi Magbegor’s 13 points. 

Although the Sky were able to cut the Storm's lead to five at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game never truly felt in doubt. The Storm would quickly push the lead back out to 10 and never looked back. After a stunning victory over the Minnesota Lynx on the road, it would be easy to identify this game against a struggling Sky team as a “trap” game. Especially given the Storm’s recent struggles at home and a major matchup against the LA Sparks just a couple of days away. The Storm were able to overcome all of that and handle a team that the Storm would feel they should be able to handle. Despite losing the shooting battle 44.3% (27-61) to 41.5% (27-65), the Storm’s defensive effort (+8 in turnover differential) would help them overcome an inefficient day from the field.

Chicago Sky

The Sky entered the game tonight with just three wins in their last 19 games. Oddly enough, two of those wins came against high-end opponents in the Lynx and Liberty, respectively. Despite wins against high-end WNBA teams, the Sky looked outmatched against a Storm team. The Sky got a solid 20-point performance from Angel Reese, who shot 58% (7-12) from the field. 

Overall, the Sky were dreadful from the free throw line, shooting 56% (14-25). They were similarly dreadful from beyond the arc, where they shot just 10% (1-10). Despite giving the Storm issues physically on the boards and in the paint, the Sky’s inability to make free throws or shoot threes prevented them from truly making this a close game. 

The Sky have locked up at least the second-best lottery odds in the 2026 WNBA draft with a chance to pass the Wings for the #1 slot before the season is done. Unfortunately for them, their pick belongs to the Lynx. Initially, they gave up swap rights to move up in the 2024 WNBA Draft to acquire Angel Reese. Then later, they traded the pick outright to Minnesota in exchange for the #11 pick in the 2025 draft. The Sky have five games left in their season to close out a particularly frustrating 2025 campaign.

Game Breakdown

Nneka Ogwumike got the first bucket of the game for either side with a jumper, followed up by Ezi Magbegor, who went up and over Kamilla Cardoso for two. Skylar Diggins added another two to get the Storm out to a quick 6-0 lead. Michaela Onyenwere started the scoring for the Sky with a free throw line jumper. It was a sloppy start from both teams, including seven combined turnovers in the first seven minutes. An Erica Wheeler three-ball extended the Storm's lead 20-14. The Sky found success on the boards in the first period, outrebounding the Storm 11-6, with a 5-0 edge in offensive rebounds. The offensive rebounds would haunt the Storm as Rebecca Allen hit a three as time expired in the first quarter after two offensive rebounds by Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams.

Brittney Sykes started the Storm off in the second quarter with a fadeaway jumper. An Erica Wheeler three-pointer followed up a Sevgi Uzun bucket for the Sky. Another Erica Wheeler three-ball kept the Storm lead at six. Nneka continued her dominance in the mid-range game, hitting a fadeaway over Cardoso. An Angel Reese layup, quickly followed up by an Onyenwere layup in transition, forced the first timeout from Storm coach Noelle Quinn. A Nneka three-pointer, followed by a Skylar three, gave the Storm a 6-0 run out of the timeout, extending the Storm's lead to 12 with 3:25 left in the second. Second-chance opportunities once again helped the Sky as Rachel Banham nailed a three after a Reese offensive rebound. Nneka has an incredible knack for finding her spot in the mid-range and showed it by hitting an eight-footer to close out the half. 

The Storm went into the break leading 44-34. Nneka once again led the way for the Storm with 13 points, followed closely by Erica Wheeler with nine points, who shot 3-5 from beyond the arc. The Sky were led by Michaela Onyenwere and Angel Reese, both with seven points. The Storm outshot the Sky 54.8% (17-31) to 45.2% (14-31). Despite getting outrebounded 20-10, the Storm's lead remained, as the Sky shot 33.3% (1-3) while the Storm shot 42.9% (6-14) from three-point land. A problem that the Storm have faced (particularly during the six-game losing streak) was a lack of efficiency and volume of shots from beyond the arc. It is good to see that rearing its ugly head for a Storm opponent for a change. Although the Sky dominated the boards, the Storm held their own in the paint, with the Sky only outscoring them 22-18.

Cardoso got the second half started with a driving layup for the Sky. She quickly followed that up with another layup, cutting the Storm's lead to six. Ezi Magbegor collected the first points of the second half for the Storm, connecting on a couple of free throws after a foul by Cardoso. Sykes converted an AND1, with Nneka following that up with a layup in transition, capping a 7-0 Storm run which extended the lead to 13 halfway through the third quarter. A Gabby Williams turnover was punished by Sky forward Elizabeth Williams through her 14-foot jumper. Angel Reese went on a quick 6-0 run of her own, cutting the Storm's lead to just seven at the end of the third quarter.

A pair of free throws from Reese kicked off the fourth quarter. Skylar cut the Angel Reese run off at 8-0 with an AND1 to extend the Storm's lead to eight. Gabby added a bucket of her own and forced Sky head coach Tyler Marsh to take a timeout as the raucous crowd at Climate Pledge Arena came to its feet. After a handful of empty possessions from both squads out of the timeout, Erica Wheeler added a transition bucket, which was immediately countered by a Cardoso layup. Nneka added a pair of free throws. Skylar made a layup of her own after a Cardoso turnover. Nneka drained a three-ball, pushing the Storm's lead out to a game-high 15 points. Onyenwere dropped in a layup, followed by an Ariel Atkins AND1 cutting the lead to ten heading into the final TV timeout. Angel Reese continued a dominant game with another layup, tying her with Nneka for a game-high 20 points. Every time the Sky began to claw back into the game, the Storm responded, this time with a Sykes layup extending the lead back to double digits. A pair of free throws converted by Gabby with 54.9 seconds to play put the game out of reach, cementing the Storm’s fifth win in their last six games. The final score, 79-69, was indicative of a game where the Storm neither felt particularly dominant nor ever in trouble.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (22-19) will host the Los Angeles Sparks (17-20) on Monday, September 1st at 7:00 PM. It is arguably the most important regular-season game of the 2025 season. Seattle needs to beat the Sparks to secure a playoff spot, and they need to keep LA out of the playoffs to secure a Top 5 Lottery pick. They also need to beat Los Angeles to avoid losing a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Storm won 98-67 over the Sparks during their matchup in LA back in June, but it was with several players missing, including Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink. LA leads the season series 2-1, with both LA wins coming during the Storm’s six-game losing streak. Both losses for the Storm were one-possession games, including a wild double overtime affair at Climate Pledge Arena. While the recent six-game run (5-1) has been impressive, a win over the Sparks would give the Storm much-needed separation in a tight playoff race.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts and discussion from Saturday’s game against the Chicago Sky. It’ll be sent exclusively to paid subscribers.

Notes:
Tonight’s game recap was done by my Intern as I look to expand Storm Chasers.
Share your thoughts on this game in the comments below!
Thanks for all the great support! Please share my coverage with other WNBA fans. Please share, retweet, repost, etc., if you enjoy my articles.
Thanks to Her Hoop Stats and Across the Timeline for being great resources.
Photo Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography