Seattle Storm suffer blowout loss in season opener vs. Phoenix Mercury
The Storm started their new era Saturday night with a thud — an 81-59 defeat against the Phoenix Mercury at PHX Arena.
It’s their third straight loss in a regular-season opener and the first time in a decade they played without six-time WNBA All-Star Jewell Loyd on the roster.
On a night when the Storm had difficulty generating points and needed more offensive options, they felt the absence of their third all-time leading scorer who forced a trade in the offseason that sent her to the Las Vegas Aces in a blockbuster deal.
Simply put, Seattle didn’t do nearly enough to keep pace with a short-handed Phoenix team while scoring fewer than 16 points in every quarter.
And the Storm’s dynamic duo of Skylar Diggins (21 points, four assists and four steals) and Nneka Ogwumike (12 points and six rebounds) were no match for Mercury stars Satou Sabally (27 points and six rebounds) and Alyssa Thomas (20 points, seven rebounds and five assists).
The other Storm starters combined for six points on 2-for-19 shooting.
It was an inauspicious start for Seattle, which fell behind 20-6 while missing 14 of its first 17 shots, including a couple of three-pointers that didn’t hit the rim.
The Storm’s best was their harassing defense, which forced 15 turnovers that led to 18 points.
The Mercury, who led 41-30 at halftime, pushed their lead to 73-53 with 4:29 left when backup center Kalani Brown delivered the knockout with a fast break layup.
Storm coach Noelle Quinn had hoped to carry over the positive momentum from a three-week training camp, which included a blowout 79-59 exhibition win against the Connecticut Sun on May 4.
“It’s our first game, so I just want to make sure everything that we’ve been working on for the past few weeks is a direct translation into this game,” she said during a pregame interview when asked about the keys to the game. “Defensively, we have to make sure we rebound the basketball. Offensively, make sure our space is on point in our pace as well.
“And then the last thing, just playing efficiently. In the preseason, we found ways to move the basketball. We found ways to play in transition. … We just want to make sure we play efficiently.”
The Storm shot 33.3% from the field and converted just three of 17 three-pointers.
Meanwhile, the Mercury could hardly miss while canning 51.7% of its field goals, including eight of 24 three-pointers.
It’s also a new era for Phoenix, which played its first game without superstar Diana Taurasi, who retired last month. The Mercury return just three players from last season, and was missing star wing Kahleah Copper (knee) and center Natasha Mack (back).
Led by Sabally and Thomas, Phoenix rolled out a lineup with five new starters including former Storm guard Sami Whitcomb, who had two three-pointers and six points.
“(Taurasi) is the Phoenix Mercury,” Quinn said. “She’s one of the best who has ever played in this league and Phoenix is synonymous with her. So, it is different, but I’m actually happy a little bit that I don’t have to worry about how the game plan for an excellent player like DT. It’s a new area era.”
Notes
• Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair her torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, the team announced. Dr. Frank Petrigliano performed the surgery in Los Angeles where Samuelson is recovering.
• The Storm picked up the fourth-year option on Jordan Horston’s rookie contract, which guarantees her $87,080 in 2026. Horston will miss the 2025 season and her WNBA contract was suspended after tearing her ACL in February while playing in the Athletes Unlimited League.