Wednesday, August 31 – 7 p.m. PT
KeyArena | Seattle, WA
JOEtv; WNBA League Pass
Team Details
After sitting at 8-9 midway through the season, Dallas has lost eight consecutive games and dropped to 11th in the league standings. In their two games since the Olympic break, the Wings were routed 98-72 at Phoenix and lost a close game to Chicago at home. Seattle, now 10-16 after splitting its games against the Sparks and Lynx, is tied for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Head-to-Head History
The Storm is 17-11 all-time against the Wings, who relocated from Tulsa before the season. But Dallas has taken both meetings this season, an 88-79 win in Texas on June 16 and an 83-78 result two weeks later at KeyArena.
Notable Statistics
Seattle has beaten L.A. and given Minnesota a tough battle since the Olympic break, and a big reason for the success is bench production. The Storm is last in the league in bench points (14.2 per game), but has averaged 20 points from its reserves in the last two games. Against the Sparks, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Noelle Quinn stepped up by scoring eight and seven points, respectively. Then at Minnesota, Ramu Tokashiki came up just shy of her season high with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes.
Wednesday’s game features teams of contrasting styles – the Wings tend to crash the offensive glass and give up points in transition, while the Storm prefers to get back on defense right away. Dallas ranks first in the league with 11.7 offensive rebounds per game, and Seattle ranks last with 6.2. Courtney Paris, Karima Christmas and Glory Johnson of the Wings are all in the league’s top five in offensive boards per game. As a result of the strategy, the Storm gives up just 7.8 fast-break points per contest – fewest in the league – while Dallas gives up a league-high 15.0.
Key Matchup
Veteran center Courtney Paris has recorded a double-double in both games against Seattle this year, averaging 12.5 points and 11 rebounds per contest. She’ll likely be guarded for parts of the game by Storm rookie Breanna Stewart, who has blocked four shots in each matchup with Dallas and dropped 29 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first meeting.
Notes
- Following Wednesday’s game, Seattle will head out on a four-game road trip that begins Friday at Chicago. The road trip concludes the following Friday, Sept. 9 against Washington, the team Seattle is currently tied with for the final playoff spot. The Storm returns to KeyArena on Sunday, Sept. 11 against the Sparks.