If you're still sleeping on the Seattle Storm, you're gonna miss the full glow-up.
With postseason seeding on the line and vibes at an all-time high inside Climate Pledge Arena, the Storm handled business like a team that knows it’s about to make some noise. Nneka Ogwumike dropped a clean 20-piece, all five starters hit double digits, and Seattle bullied the Chicago Sky into 22 turnovers en route to a 79–69 win Saturday night — their fifth victory in six games and a clean sweep of the season series.
This wasn't just a W — it was a statement. A controlled, grown-woman performance that showed off Seattle's veteran poise, defensive nastiness, and a “we’re not just happy to be here” mentality as the playoff picture sharpens.
Seattle didn’t trail once. Let’s get that out of the way. From the moment they opened with a 6-0 punch to the mouth, it was their game to lose — and they never came close to doing that.
The Storm built a double-digit lead by the second half and weathered a brief fourth-quarter surge from Chicago that trimmed the lead to five. That’s when Skylar Diggins-Smith did what stars do: she hit the gas. Her old-school and-one at the 9:23 mark sparked a 7-0 burst that re-established Seattle's control and basically shut the door.
And if you’re wondering when the Sky got another field goal in the fourth… you’d be waiting until there was under 7 minutes left. That’s not just solid defense — that’s lockdown, throw-away-the-key, defense-wins-championships type energy.
Nneka Ogwumike looked like playoff-mode Nneka. Efficient, composed, and assertive, she finished with 20 points on the night, becoming just the second player in franchise history to post 740+ points in a single season (only Breanna Stewart has done it, and she's got a statue waiting).
“She’s been everything for us,” Head Coach Noelle Quinn said postgame. “Leadership, execution, and just knowing when to take over.”
Behind her, the depth was surgical. Ezi Magbegor added 13, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Gabby Williams dropped 12 each, and Brittney Sykes pitched in 11 with her usual brand of controlled chaos. Erica Wheeler even joined the party off the bench with 11 of her own — because why not?
There were no 40-point explosions. No highlight dunks. Just a starting five (plus one) that cooked together like a Michelin-starred kitchen. Cohesion, baby. It’s in style.
Chicago was clawing. Angel Reese had just trimmed the lead to five with a pair of free throws, and it felt like momentum was shifting. Climate Pledge got a little quieter. Sky fans on Twitter started popping back in. Could it happen?
Nah.
Diggins-Smith snatched the script and lit it on fire. Her and-one at 9:23 didn’t just ignite a 7-0 run — it pulled the plug on Chicago’s energy. That moment, combined with Seattle’s full-court press of a fourth-quarter defense, marked the stretch where everything turned.
Call it the “nope” quarter. That’s what the Storm were telling the Sky.
It’s easy to forget how young Angel Reese is when you watch her work. In the middle of a team that’s lost 17 of 19, she’s still out here dragging double-doubles out of thin air. Twenty points, 10 rebounds, and a complete unwillingness to fold. She took body shots from Seattle’s frontcourt all night and kept coming.
That’s not just effort — that’s a blueprint for the kind of star she’s going to become.
Kamilla Cardoso also battled on the glass, grabbing 11 boards, and Michaela Onyenwere chipped in 11 points. But Chicago’s 22 turnovers — many of them unforced — just made it impossible to compete in a game where every possession mattered.
Let’s not downplay this. The Storm are heating up at exactly the right time. They’ve won five of their last six, finished a monster road trip 4-1, and just locked down game one of a four-game home stretch to end the regular season.
That’s the formula: build momentum, climb the seeding ladder, and walk into the playoffs with something real to say.
“We’ve been in tight ones all month, and I think we’re learning how to close,” Ogwumike said. “We’re finding identity at the right time.”
And with games like this, it’s hard to disagree.
What separates the real contenders from the rest this time of year? The ability to manufacture wins — even when it’s not pretty. Even when it’s tight. Even when the offense isn’t humming.
Seattle showed exactly that on Saturday. They gritted their way to a win, made all their free throws, locked up in crunch time, and got contributions from literally everyone. They’re not a flashy team built on viral highlights — they’re a machine that just keeps churning.
And while teams like Vegas and New York grab the spotlight, don’t be surprised if the Storm slide in under the radar and wreck a few dreams.
They’re already doing it. One win at a time.
📺 Next Up:
The Storm host the Sparks on Monday night in their annual Back to School game. The vibes will be loud. The defense will be louder.
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