Game 8: Who the hell is going to beat the Seattle Storm in a series, and everything else you need to know
This is a serious question.
Hello, it’s me, Matt.
We are officially more than one-third of the way through the WNBA season. How did this happen? Who did this?
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Ok, I’ll shut up now.
Here’s Basketball.
Ok, the Seattle Storm might be too good
There’s still 14 regular season games to go and all, but umm,,, it’s getting tougher to find a team able to beat the Storm in a series. They’ve only lost one game so far, and on Monday, they rocked the Chicago Sky in what might’ve been a Finals preview, 89-71. Breanna Stewart had 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals in what was terrifyingly Just Another Night for her. Sami Whitcomb came off the bench for 17 points and six assists, and Ezi Magbegor, the damn 20-year-old, had 13 points.
**Sue Bird didn’t even play.**
Through eight games, the Storm have the best net rating in the league, outscoring opponents by 10.1 points per 100 possessions. (For context, last year’s Mystics outscored opponents by 14.8 points per 100 possessions.) The Storm also have the best defense in the league, holding teams to 92.8 points per 100 possessions, two points better than last year’s league-best Aces. They’re really good. And as long as they stay healthy, they’re only gonna get better.
Who can contend? The Aces? The Sparks? Idk, but I can’t say a single team’s name with confidence.
Angel McCoughtry, drop the knee care routine
After suffering an injury that resulted in torn ligaments in her knee, McCoughtry missed the very end of the 2018 season, and all of the 2019 season. Nobody knew how McCoughtry would look when she signed with the Aces as a free agent over the winter for a season she’d turn 34 years old in. The answer — she’s freaking amazing.
On Tuesday night, McCoughtry scored 20 points on 11 shots, including a made three with two assists in 20 minutes, all while being a lockdown defender. A’ja Wilson is correctly getting a ton of attention as one of the league’s best scorers, but McCoughtry is really pulling her weight for Las Vegas, too. Through eight games, she’s posting her career-best true shooting percentage (62 percent) and win shares per 48 minutes (.279.) That’s some nerd shit that says she’s been as good as she’s looked. She’s scoring 15 points with five rebounds, three assists and a steal in a very limited 22 minutes per game.
Let us know where you got that new knee, Angel.
Skylar Diggins-Smith went off
With Diana Taurasi out with a lower back/oblique injury, suddenly the Mercury’s offense has become Diggins-Smith’s, and in her first game, she played really well as the lead guard. Beating the Wings 91-79, she scored 26 points on 13 shots with seven assists and five rebounds.
Phoenix needs her to play at her best to keep things rolling with Taurasi out. So far, so good.
Eyes on Jazmine Jones, please
I really like Jones’ game as speedy and strong guard, and I knew a breakout was coming. It happened on Tuesday night in a 93-78 loss to the Sparks. In 26 minutes, Jones logged 24 points on 16 shots, draining one three. She also had five steals.
Liberty rookies are going to have their good and bad moments surrounded by… mostly each other. But it’s important to note breakout nights, because they show what a player might grow to produce nightly one day.
Look how tired DeWanna Bonner was of losing lmfao
I feel you, DeWanna. She got the W.
Now for the bad.
Chennedy Carter turned her ankle and will be out for two weeks
Ankles, if you’re reading this, just know I’m tired of your weak ass. You’ve taken too many players from the court this year, and Carter’s just the latest. The injury happened in the opening three minutes of the Dream’s game against the Wings, and she did not return.
The good news is her injury doesn’t appear to be as severe as Sabrina Ionescu’s. According to the Dream, she’ll miss approximately two weeks.
The Mystics are nowhere to be found
What happened to the team that blew out the Storm two weeks ago? After a 3-0 start, the Mystics have dropped five straight games including losses to the otherwise winless Liberty, and the fringe-playoff Fever. Yikes.
Granted, Aerial Powers has been injured and missed the last two games, but regardless D.C. has looked completely out of sorts. On Tuesday night, they scored just 48 points, shooting 30 percent from the floor. Barf.
Of course, missing Powers on top of Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles, Natasha Cloud and LaToya Sanders was going to make winning super tough for the Mystics. There’s no shame in them coming back down to Earth. But they really played with us by getting off to such a hot start.
Additional notes:
Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Epiphany Prince, Stefanie Dolson, Aerial Powers, Stephanie Mavunga and Shenise Johnson all missed Game 8 for the same reasons
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt sat out Game 8 with an ankle injury
Sue Bird is probable to play for the first time since Game 3 tonight with a bone bruise in her knee
Bria Hartley, Sylvia Fowles and Natalie Anchonwa returned for Game 8
Victoria Vivians re-injured her knee and did not return to Game 8
Chennedy Carter will miss at least two weeks with a sprained ankle
Final scores
Sun 93, Dream 82
Mercury 91, Wings 79
Storm 89, Sky 71
Aces 98, Fever 79
Lynx 68, Mystics 48
Sparks 93, Liberty 78
Matt’s power rankings:
Storm
Aces
Lynx
Mercury
Sparks
Sky
Wings
Fever
Mystics
Sun
Dream
Liberty
Matt’s MVP rankings:
Breanna Stewart
Sylvia Fowles
A’ja Wilson
Candace Parker
Courtney Vandersloot
Matt’s Rookie of the Year rankings:
Chennedy Carter
Satou Sabally
Julie Allemand
Ezi Magbegor
Crystal Dangerfield
Ok, that’s all from me.
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