Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Fourth-quarter comeback saves the Storm, forces Game 3

The Seattle Storm were a quarter away from having their season packed up by the visiting Las Vegas Aces, but Erica Wheeler and Skylar Diggins sprayed 11 points apiece in the fourth quarter to force Game 3. 

After the game, Nneka Ogwumike said the Storm are not unfamiliar with tight matches or playing from behind. She also added that they “had a concerted effort to exploit the switch” from Las Vegas’ scheme. 

A 23-8 run handed the Aces their first loss after 16 straight wins and two nights after pistol-whipping the Storm by 25 in Las Vegas. No one was more relieved than Seattle coach Noelle Quinn, who is likely close to being ejected from her seat.  

The hosts fell behind by as much as 12 in the final sequence, but Diggins started the avalanche, tying the game on a screen-roll floater. 

Wheeler had struggled three quarters, missing all five attempts, and checked in with seven minutes left for Brittney Sykes, who was invisible. The latter was the All-Star Seattle brought in via trade on Aug. 5 from Washington, and she was scoreless on Sunday, too.

Everything changed as Wheeler made a pull-up trey in NaLyssa Smith’s face in transition. She also curled behind a dribble handoff and fired from the middle, splashed a trifecta from the left corner and poured in a long pull-up two-pointer over Chelsea Gray. 

Sykes returned after a subsequent Las Vegas timeout with 31 seconds left to defend the inbound, but Seattle got bailed out because Gray threw her pass off target to Jackie Young. Then Diggins buried another floater in the lane, giving Seattle an 86-83 lead. 

Quinn credited rookie Dominique Malonga for holding reigning MVP A’ja Wilson scoreless in the last seven minutes. “We knew that A’ja is a load. If we can keep her to her average, that’s a plus for us.”

Game 3 is on Thursday in Las Vegas.