By Alex House
Copyright clutchpoints
The Seattle Storm have done what no other team has since Aug. 2: defeat the Las Vegas Aces. Following a blowout loss in Game 1 of the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, it was easy to dismiss Noelle Quinn’s squad heading into a must-win matchup on Tuesday night. It was even easier to do when Vegas built a 14-point lead late in the third quarter. The Storm were not interested in staying in the Emerald City for the remainder of the year, though. Skylar Diggins made sure this team would be heading back to The Entertainment Capital of the World.
With Seattle leading by just one point, the four-time All-WNBA First-Team selection nailed a clutch jumper with 4.2 seconds left on the clock, via the Underdog WNBA X account. The Storm thwarted a Jewell Lloyd 3-point attempt and secured the 86-83 victory. A season is extended, for at least another day, and a 17-game winning streak is snapped. What a night in Seattle.
Diggins scored 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting and knocked down four 3-pointers in this hard-fought battle, while also posting seven assists, two steals and one block. After spending more than a decade in the WNBA, the seven-time All-Star knows she may not have many more chances to win a title. Her hunger was evident in this elimination game. She had plenty of help, though.
Nneka Ogwumike tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds (also had four treys), leaving her stamp on another big stage. But one impactful veteran duo does not a championship squad make. The 19-year-old Dominique Malonga recorded another double-double (11 points and 10 boards) two days after becoming the youngest ever to do so in the WNBA playoffs. Most importantly, she made the go-ahead three-point play with 31 seconds remaining. In just 23 minutes off the bench, the 2025 second-round draft pick helped propel the Storm to an outstanding comeback.
The Aces entered this showdown with loads of championship experience and scorching-hot momentum, and Seattle overcame it all. There is still much left to do, though. Skylar Diggins and company will have to once again tap into the clutch gene when they square off with Vegas in Michelob ULTRA Arena in Thursday’s series finale.
