The Seattle Storm dropped their seventh consecutive game Wednesday, June 10, falling 88-83 to the Los Angeles Sparks at Climate Pledge Arena before 9,309 fans.
The team is back home Friday, June 12, at 7 p.m. to host the Golden State Valkyries in their final Commissioner's Cup game of the season.
All five Storm starters scored in double figures: Natisha Hiedeman led with 16 points, Dominique Malonga added 15 points and 7 rebounds, Flau'jae Johnson posted 14 points and 12 rebounds, Awa Fam scored 12, and Jordan Horston had 11. Seattle led 67-66 after three quarters before the Sparks pulled away with a 22-16 fourth-quarter run.
Former Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, who left Seattle in free agency after last season, scored a game-high 24 points for LA in her first game against her old team. The CPA crowd gave her a warm reception before tip-off, according to the Seattle Times.
Malonga, the 6-foot-6 center named to the 2025 WNBA All-Rookie Team, was playing her third game back after missing eight games with a concussion suffered May 13. Since her June 7 return, the Storm's offense has jumped to 91 and 88 points in consecutive games after ranking last in the WNBA at 76.7 points per game.
"The offense is coming together for sure," Hiedeman told the Seattle Times. "L.A. was the third-ranked offensive team in the league and we knew that it was going to be a big defensive game for us."
The Storm sit at 3-11, last in the Western Conference. The Valkyries arrive Friday at 7-5, fourth in the West, after beating Phoenix 87-81 on Tuesday, June 9, led by Veronica Burton's 25 points and Gabby Williams' 25.
Online, Storm fans are preparing for Friday's home game.
"Not the beating it could have been but we're still not good enough to beat the better teams," one X user said.
"Call up Queen Egbo! She’s a bucket, I’m tired of this losing shit," another X user commented.
Others are more enthusiastic.
"What a great game to watch. Y’all played strong, confident, hard & just keep on getting better each game. Great effort on 2 the next," an X user said.
"I’m not mad at this game. Y’all looked very strong and confident for all four quarters. We just need some time and we’ll get there," another person commented.
CPA is a 10-minute walk from Queen Anne Ave N. The RapidRide D Line runs from Crown Hill through Ballard and Interbay to Uptown. Route 24 connects West Magnolia and Central Magnolia to Seattle Center. Route 2 runs along Queen Anne Ave N to Seattle Center West. Bike racks are available at Seattle Center.
Tickets: storm.wnba.com.
Up next: The Storm host the Portland Fire on Saturday, July 4, at 7 p.m. at CPA in the first-ever "Rivalry Series" regular-season matchup between Seattle and Portland since the original Fire disbanded after the 2002 season.