The Seattle Storm opened up their 2022 season in a new home stadium. Even with a new and improved home, the first week for the Storm has been rough. Within this team, there’s positives, negatives, and reasons for optimism in this very young season.
Making It Rain
Opening day in the newly built Climate Pledge Arena didn’t disappoint for the Seattle Storm. In front of 12,904 fans, the Seattle Storm beat the Minnesota Lynx 97-74 to earn their first win in their home since 2018. The key to their win was the shooting in the third quarter. The Storm shot 68.8% from the field in the third quarter, including 5-for-6 from 3-point land.
Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd finished the game with a team-high 17 points each. Stewart and Loyd also had a pair of steals each. Sue Bird finished with 11 points, nine assists, and went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
A telling stat from this win was the shooting from the free-throw line. The Storm perfected their opportunity for free points shooting 15-for-15 from the line. Minnesota was missing Damiris Dantas while Seattle was missing Mercedes Russell due to injuries.
First game at @ClimateArena ✅
First win at @ClimateArena ✅#StormWins #TakeCover x @Swedish pic.twitter.com/mP7ida35ES— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 7, 2022
Seattle Halted By COVID
After their recent loss to the Las Vegas Aces, the Storm went into Phoenix to face the Mercury shorthanded. Stewie and key backup guard Epiphanny Prince landed in the league’s Health and Safety Protocols before their game. Seattle would go on to lose 97-77 to the Mercury in their worst defensive performance of the season. Loyd scored a game-high 26 points with four 3-pointers and five rebounds. Bird added 14 points along with four made threes and six assists in the loss.
UPDATED INJURY REPORT:
Mercedes Russell (non-basketball injury) – OUT
Epiphanny Prince (health and safety protocols) – OUT
Breanna Stewart (health and safety protocols) – OUT#TakeCover #RoadToRecovery pic.twitter.com/utjM4Jg2zJ— Seattle Storm PR (@SeattleStormPR) May 12, 2022
The Storm was without Stewart and Prince again in their home matchup with the Phoenix Mercury. In a more highly contested game, the Storm fell short losing 69-64 to Phoenix. Loyd led the way for the Storm in scoring with 26 points and hitting five three-pointers. Ezi Magbegor filled the center role nicely on defense recording her career-high seven blocks, along with eight points on the offensive end.
Bird scored two points making one shot out of 11 attempts but was highlighted with a jump ball between her and Diana Taurasi. The crowd of 12,453 cheered when Taurasi and Bird argued over who had the possession in a mic’d up occurrence.
https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/1525595480968744961?s=21&t=KSbwjHlXI2ZcXmyKYJAjJA
Seattle Will Reign Again
The Storm finished the first week at 1-3, the second-worst record in the league. While the start for Seattle has been rough, the clouds are forming for a massive incoming storm. The Storm beat the Chicago Sky 74-71 in a matchup of the past two champions as Stewart and Prince returned from Health and Safety Protocols.
Stewart finished the win with 13 points, and four steals matching her career-high. Magbegor gets a career-high 21 points in the win, with two blocks and six rebounds. Loyd had a tough night going just 2-for-10 from the field and just five points. Bird didn’t do much better, going just 2-for-9 from the field and finishing with six points and seven assists.
https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/1527017407713116160?s=21&t=hK9wivna7Nk04vguyjekeg
With Stewart returning, Loyd poses as a solid second option with her consistent scoring at 18.6 points per game through five games. The Storm will also be playing their next seven games at home in Climate Pledge Arena. The season is still young and with a healthy roster, they remain championship contenders and are the team to beat in the WNBA.
