The Dallas Wings (26-17) travel to Seattle for Game No. 44, where they’ll meet the Storm (8-35) for a 9pm CDT tip at Climate Pledge Arena. The Wings enter the contest on a one-game skid, having lost the lead late against Phoenix Monday, 87-86, to end a six-game win streak. For the Storm, whose record over July, August, and September is 3-20, the game arrives at the end of a brutal stretch which matched them up with Las Vegas twice, with Golden State sandwiched between those games on the front end of a torturous
back-to-back set. They come in on a four-game slide.
Sea of sorrow
The young Storm are led by several folks in their first year, including head coach Sonia Raman, guard Flau’jae Johnson, and centers Awa Fam and Dominique Malonga, and while their future seems bright, this season has been one rich in learning experiences. In the three games since the break the lessons were provided in generous portions by the Aces and Valkyries, who on their way to winning by an average margin of 23 points did what a lot of teams have done against the Storm: make more threes and force more turnovers. The Wings, who sit between Golden State and Las Vegas among the top three WNBA teams in fewest turnovers per game, followed the same formula to a 92-70 win when these teams last met August 23 in Arlington. Guards Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale connected on eight of 11 attempts from deep, with Bueckers hitting all six of her tries. Fam and Malonga will have plenty of ground to cover as they try to defend center Awak Kuier, who has made herself into a real three-point threat, connecting on both her deep attempts Monday.
Happy landings
The Wings would have needed to win their final eight games to have much chance of improving their lie this postseason, and Monday’s loss means that coach Jose Fernandez shifts to a different set of priorities as his club gears up for the Valkyries or Lynx in need of as healthy a roster as can be mustered. For a team already missing guard Azzi Fudd and forward Alanna Smith, the midgame departure of forward Alysha Clark after taking an elbow to the face Monday was an unwelcome warning that the perils of any game are real, whether or not playoff implications are on the line. Whether or not Clark is available Wednesday, she figures to play a key role off the bench in the playoffs.
Paige keeps it going
Fresh off playing an important part on a gold winning team in FIBA World Cup, Paige Bueckers has played the most important part for the Wings down the stretch, averaging 24 points and four assists while shooting 56-98 from the field in the last six games. Though the team fell short against the Mercury, Bueckers’ leadership during this stretch run has been a real marker of growth, especially as it’s come in the absence of fellow top pick Fudd. The last-place Storm is Dallas’ sixth straight opponent with a losing record, a run of the schedule that’s been nearly as soft as Seattles’ has been punishing. Bueckers’ steady excellence, whether against international competition or the league’s also-rans, leave only the question of maintaining that level of play in the playoffs, and the main goal of this game should be to make sure she is able to stay healthy for that purpose. Reserve guard Odyssey Sims, who played 20 minutes Monday, could see more court time again.
How to watch
Wednesday’s game will be carried on USA Network, CNBC, and WNBA League Pass at 9:00pm CDT.
