The (7-29) Seattle Storm welcome the (12-22) Chicago Sky back into the Climate Pledge Arena for a Sunday afternoon matchup. The Storm beat the Sky less than a week ago in their last meeting, so this was fresh on the Sky’s mind as they strolled into Climate Pledge Arena. Though close, this game was much different than their previous matchup.
In the August 10th matchup, the Storm held the backcourt duo of Courtney Vandersloot and Natasha Cloud to 20 points; 13 and 7 points respectively. In the Sky’s win on Sunday, the Vandersloot (15) and Cloud (20) duo combined for 35 points, while also chipping in 13 rebounds, eight assists, and seven steals.
Seattle welcomed star rookie Flau’Jae Johnson back for this matchup from a two-game hiatus where the Storm went 1-1 without her in the lineup. For the first time all season, the Storm played the trio of 6’6” Dominique Malonga, 6’5” Ezi Magbegor, and 6’4” Awa Fam for extended minutes.
Malonga led the Storm with 19 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. Obtaining her 15th career double-double, she moved into sixth place in Storm history for most double-doubles all-time and in a season (11). Magbegor set a season-high 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting (58.3%). She also grabbed four rebounds and led the team in +/- for the second straight game at +10. Fam scored 14 points and pulled down rebounds off the bench.
“We finally had practice reps and time to work on it. Defensively, the length, quickness, activity — flying around, protecting the paint, multiple efforts, contests, rebounding — all of that was excellent,” coach Raman shared about what she liked about that lineup. “Offensively, it was about finding the mismatch. Huge credit to Jade for quarterbacking the offense and everyone quickly recognizing matchups. It gelled faster than expected. We wanted to use it in the first half but foul trouble prevented it. Overall, they played unselfishly and looked for each other to create advantages.”
An injury to Jordan Horston forced Sonia Raman to utilize that big lineup, and the energy in the building changed in the Storm’s favor. Unofficially, the Storm outscored the Sky 33–16 in the minutes the Storm’s bigs were on the court.
(Photo Credit: Nate Small- smallworld-206-photography.merlin-site.com)
That size was needed against Kamilla Cardoso, who led the Sky with 22 points and 12 rebounds. DiJonai Carrington scored eight points and seven rebounds in this game. The Sky’s biggest lead was 21 points in this game, and they won the battle for second-chance points 13 to two. The Storm also lost the turnover battle 18-17 in this matchup.
“A lot of it is missing T. It’s our first time playing without her. She brings so much — leadership, ball‑handling, stability. Early on we struggled to click offensively,” Coach Raman said of their start in this game. “We gave up 46 in the first half, but once we settled — especially with the big‑three lineup — we held them to 36 in the second half. It was about adjusting to playing without her for the first time all season.”
Energy and the lack of effective point guard play were the cause of another loss for the Storm. Though Natisha Heideman isn’t a true point guard, her ball-handling, shooting, and energy were sorely lacking in this matchup.
“It comes from everybody. We don’t want to rely on one person to push us. We’re close as a team, and we all pick each other up,” Malonga said about the team sourcing energy throughout the game. “Of course we have our vets, including Ezi, but really anyone can speak up or make a difference on the floor. You can go to any teammate, and they’ll pick you up.”
Next, the Storm heads to Dallas to take on the Wings on Sunday, Aug. 23. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. PT and will be broadcast nationally on NBATV and locally on KOMO and CW Seattle. The matchup will also be available to stream on Prime for users in Washington state. The Sky will welcome the New York Liberty into Chicago for a matchup on Tuesday night, August 18, 2026.
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