Seattle, WA
Seattle defense holds off late Washington charge in 83-77 win
Seattle defense holds off late Washington charge in 83-77 win
Wed, Aug 21, 2024, 2:21 AM
The Storm forced 22 Mystic turnovers and scored 29 points off them in victory
WASHINGTON – The Seattle Storm got just enough points … and left the Washington Mystics with not enough time.
Jewell Loyd scored five of her 18 points and came up with a crucial steal in the final 2:25, and Nneka Ogwumike scored the last two of her 24 points on a lay-in with 48 seconds left as the Storm hung on for an 83-77 victory on Tuesday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
Ezi Magbegor produced her eighth double-double of the season, this one with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Skylar Diggins-Smith added 17 points and handed out five assists, the fifth one coming on Ogwumike’s final lay-in.
The Storm built several double-digit leads, the last of those at 55-45 midway through the third quarter.
That’s when the Mystics (6-22), who now have lost five straight and haven’t notched a victory since July 10, started to climb back and stayed within striking distance the rest of the way.
The margin was down to four at 61-57 to start the fourth quarter. The Storm pushed it back to seven at 68-61. Washington finally narrowed it down to one at 75-74 on a pair of Shakira Austin free throws at the 1:38 mark.
After Seattle came up empty on its ensuing trip downcourt, Loyd picked off a pass from Brittney Sykes and went back the other way for a lay-in and a 77-74 lead with 1:10 remaining. The Mystics turned it over again on their next possession, and Ogwumike subsequently made it 79-74 at 48.2 seconds.
Loyd rebounded a miss by Sykes, and Diggins-Smith was fouled with 18.1 seconds to go. She missed the first but made the second for an 80-74 advantage. Sykes answered with a 3-point bomb with 11 seconds showing for 80-77.
Jordan Horston hit one of her two free throws at 8.9 seconds to make it 81-77. The Mystics came out of a timeout and immediately turned it over again. Loyd drained a pair of foul shots with 5.4 seconds remaining, effectively clinching it.
In spite of how close it got during the final few minutes, the Storm never trailed after Washington scored the first five points of the game. Seattle answered with a 15-0 run.
Diggins-Smith started it with a short jumper and wound up tallying eight of those 15 points, and Ogwumike chipped in five, part of her 14-point production during the opening period. Seattle kept the Mystics off the scoreboard for a stretch of 3 minutes, 40 seconds.
A nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter (26-17) narrowed to four at 28-24 early in the second quarter. The Storm responded with eight straight points, expanding it back to double-digits at 36-24. They then put up the final six points of the half to take a 44-30 advantage into the break.
Ariel Atkins finished with 25 points and Austin had 24 for the Mystics.
— Seattle forced Washington into 22 turnovers, converting those into 29 points. That’s the most points the Storm have scored off turnovers since June 2022. On Tuesday, 19 of those points came during the first half.
— However, Seattle turned it over 16 times, ending a club-record streak of 20 straight games with 15 or fewer turnovers. That was the fifth-longest such streak in WNBA history.
— Neither team shot well. The Storm finished at 38.6 percent (27 of 70), and the Mystics were at 38.9 percent (28 of 72).
— Seattle did have another solid night at the free throw line, draining 26 of 30 (86.7 percent). That was 13 more makes than Washington (13 of 19).
— The Storm have won all three games against the Mystics this season, including both in D.C.
The Storm has a five-day break before beginning a three-game homestand next Monday, Aug. 26, against these same Mystics, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. in Climate Pledge Arena (Fox 13+ / Prime Video Washington).
—— StormBasketball.com ——
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SEATTLE, WA – JULY 4: Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm drives to the basket during the game against the Portland Fire on July 4, 2026 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. (David Ryder / NBAE / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Carla Leite scored 20 points to lead the Portland Fire to a 77-72 victory over the Seattle Storm on Saturday night.
Leite made 4 of 8 shots and all 12 of her free throws, adding four assists for Portland (9-12). Bridget Carleton totaled 14 points and seven rebounds, while Megan Gustafson added 10 points and nine boards.
Dominique Malonga had 22 points to pace Seattle (5-17) and Natisha Hiedeman scored 15. Awa Fam had 12 points, while fellow rookie Flau’jae Johnson was held to a season-low one point.
Leite had two three-point plays to start the third quarter and Frieda Buhner came off the bench to score all nine of her points over a six-minute span as Portland turned a 32-30 halftime lead into a 54-47 advantage. Gustafson sank a 3-pointer for a 41-38 lead and the Fire never trailed again.
Emily Engstler had all nine of her points and six of her eight rebounds by halftime, helping Portland outscore Seattle 22-10 in the second period for a two-point lead at the break.
Hiedeman had nine points in the first quarter and Seattle used a 13-2 run over the final 5:27 to take a 20-10 lead before falling to 0-12 against Western Conference opponents this season.
Portland went 1-3 on a four-game trip.
Up next
Seattle: At Los Angeles Sparks on Monday.
Portland: Hosts Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.
The Source: Information in this story came from The Associated Press.
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An exciting cross-conference WNBA matchup takes center stage on Independence Day as the Portland Fire travel north to the Emerald City to clash with the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM PT.
The home-standing Storm look to assert their dominance behind a balanced offensive attack led by dynamic playmaker Dominique Malonga and veteran guard Naty Hiedeman. The visiting Fire will try to play the ultimate holiday spoiler, counting on a heavy scoring punch from Carla Leite to disrupt Seattle’s defensive rhythm. To help you locate the sharpest analytical angles before tip-off, we cross-referenced our advanced game simulations with live, crowd-sourced contract data from Polymarket, the world’s largest decentralized prediction platform.
Fire vs. Storm: Matchup Overview
- Teams: Portland Fire vs. Seattle Storm
- Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026
- Time: 6:00 PM PT
- Venue: Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA)
Current Betting Odds
- Spread: Storm -4.5 (+100), Fire +4.5 (-106)
- Total (Over/Under): 171.5 Points
- Moneyline: Fire +170, Storm -174
The odds and lines featured in this article are the best available from selected sports betting sites like Novig and BetMGM at the time of publication and are subject to change.
Polymarket Prediction Market Insights:
Polymarket’s liquid wagering pools offer real-time tracking of public and sharp sentiment, where contract share prices adjust fluidly to represent precise market-implied probabilities:
- Seattle Storm Moneyline (To Win): 63¢ (63% implied probability)
- Portland Fire Moneyline (To Win): 38¢ (38% implied probability)
- Storm Spread (-4.5): 50¢ (50% implied probability)
- Fire Spread (+4.5): 52¢ (52% implied probability)
- Total Points Over 171.5: 51¢ (51% implied probability)
- Total Points Under 171.5: 50¢ (50% implied probability)
(Note: Prediction market participants on Polymarket are trading the game notably closer than standard sportsbooks, pricing Seattle as a more modest 63% moneyline favorite).
Deep Betting Market Analysis & Projections
By routing raw roster efficiency matrices, player matchup data, and home-court advantages through 10,000 algorithmic simulations, our predictive engine has mapped out the highest-probability vectors for Saturday’s showdown:
1. Outright Moneyline: Seattle Storm (73.7% Win Probability)
- The Data: Our machine-learning model gives Seattle a commanding 73.7% probability to win straight up.
- The Angle: This represents a massive value gap on the prediction exchanges. While sportsbooks have priced the Storm heavily at -174, Polymarket traders are valuing Seattle shares at just 63¢. Backing the Storm moneyline contract on Polymarket provides exceptional statistical leverage over standard bookmaker juice.
2. The Point Spread: Storm -4.5 (+100)
- The Data: Simulations indicate a strong 58.0% probability that Seattle covers the -4.5 spread.
- The Angle: Our model projects a final score of Storm 88, Fire 81, indicating a seven-point victory for the hosts. Laying the 4.5 points with Seattle at even money (+100) on Novig represents an analytical edge over public sentiment.
3. Game Total: Under 171.5 Points (+106)
- The Data: The simulation baseline shows a clear 58.6% lean toward the Under.
- The Angle: Our projected combined score sits at 169 points. With Novig offering a plus-money premium of +106 on the Under, fading a high-scoring track meet provides a very comfortable mathematical cushion compared to public expectations.
WNBA Player Props: Projected Box Scores
To evaluate how the individual stars will impact the floor at Climate Pledge Arena, here is the statistical breakdown from our game simulations:
Seattle Storm Projection
- Dominique Malonga: 18 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST
- Naty Hiedeman: 14 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST
- Awak Kuier Fam: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
- Flau’jae Johnson: 12 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
- Jordan Horston: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Portland Fire Projection
- Carla Leite: 15 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST
- Brack Carleton: 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
- Megan Gustafson: 9 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST
- Luisa Geiselsoder: 9 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
- Emily Engstler: 8 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
Fire vs. Storm Summary:
The data signals a celebratory night for Seattle fans, as the Storm are structurally positioned to handle their Pacific Northwest rivals. While backing Seattle on the flat moneyline via Polymarket yields the highest pure value, locking in Under 171.5 points (+106) provides an excellent statistical fallback play.
Remember to bet responsibly and within your financial limits. For additional resources and advice on responsible gambling, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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