After a week off in-between games, the Seattle Storm have seven straight home games on the horizon. They aim to rain on other opponents in the league as they enter the Emerald City. Even with a string of home games, Seattle is still a victim of the Health and Safety Protocols as three of their starters have been added to the list during the week. While there are still positives and negatives to take away, the Storm seems to be forming its clouds to fully rain on the rest of the competition.
Storm Delayed By COVID
Before their first game vs the New York Liberty, the Storm found out they were going in shorthanded once again. Stephanie Talbot, Sue Bird, and Ezi Magbegor were all added to the league’s “Health and Safety Protocols” before the game. Coach Noelle Quinn said “This isn’t ideal, but it’s the time that we’re in,…We’ve been through it before and know how to adjust to it.” With these players landing on the COVID list, the Storm signed Kaela Davis and Kianna Williams to hardship contracts until those players return.
Seattle Rains All Over The New York Liberty
Despite being without three starters, Seattle formed dark clouds over New York which made for a storm for the Liberty. The Storm beat the Liberty 79 to 71 in Overtime on May 27th, in the first of two meetings. Seattle had a 10-point lead at halftime, but with New York outscoring them by nine in the third quarter, they were able to climb back in the game and force overtime.
Breanna Stewart excelled scoring a game-high 31 points with nine rebounds, and getting to the free-throw line 18 times, converting 15. Gabby Williams filled in nicely for Talbot getting a career-high with six steals and season-high nine rebounds. Jewell Loyd added 21 points playing a career-high 43 minutes contributing to the win.
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With dark clouds already formed, a storm was in full effect on May 29th. New York couldn’t stop the thunderous defense of Seattle as the Storm won 92 to 61 to extend their win streak to four games. The thunder clouds for Seattle showed up in the second quarter with New York only scoring eight points with Seattle raining down 26 points in that quarter.
Stewart finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a career-high six steals. Filling in for Magbegor, Jantell Lavender was the first Storm player to post a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Loyd finished with 22 points and a season-high six assists while Briann January scored 12 points in 25 minutes filling in for Bird. The two hardship contract players Davis and Williams scored 11 points and five points in 17 minutes and 14 minutes respectfully in the win.
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A Storm Is Coming, So Take Cover
With the Storm getting time off before their next game, they can get multiple players back from COVID protocols. The first player Coach Quinn expects to be back is Stephanie Talbot since she landed on protocols first. Bird and Magbegor are also expected to be back by Friday’s game. The Storm continue their homestand through the weekend where they have five wins and one loss. They also have competitions with the Dallas Wings, Connecticut Sun, and Atlanta Dream in the next three games.
Half a game separates these four teams in the standings currently, with Dallas the only ones half a game back instead of in front. Seattle has yet to play a game with a fully healthy roster. With three games left in this homestand, many dark clouds are forming for a massive storm. Opponents coming to the Emerald City are advised to take cover.
https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/1531067041653743617?s=11&t=cJA_FyqmzQa9YsfJJ7NNag
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