Seattle Storm saw off Chicago Sky 97-88 at home on Tuesday night in a WNBA contest that played out at a brisk pace. To be fair, the scoreline suggests a game where both sides traded blows rather than one where either side dominated from the outset.
Seattle's shooting was the difference, hitting 8 of their 21 three-point attempts compared to 6 for 20 from Chicago. The hosts also converted 25 of 28 free throws, a precision that mattered when the game tightened down the stretch. By then, Chicago had already taken the paint battle, scoring 48 points inside versus Seattle's 38.
And here's the thing about the rebounding — Chicago grabbed more offensive boards, 13 to 9, and turned those into 16 second-chance points. They needed to, because Seattle's biggest lead of 17 came early and was never really threatened. Chicago never led at any point during the contest.
The statistics tell a story of contrasting styles. Seattle moved the ball better with 22 assists to 18, while Chicago relied more on their size inside. Both sides committed similar numbers of turnovers, 14 and 15, and each recorded 9 steals. Neither team committed any flagrant or technical fouls, so the game stayed clean.
The result keeps Chicago in fifth place with 15 wins from 40 games, while Seattle remain eighth with just 8 victories. Neither side is doing particularly well, but the gap between them is still meaningful in a tight standings race.
For Seattle, this was a rare win after four consecutive losses — they had fallen to Portland, New York twice, and Atlanta. Chicago's recent form had been mixed, with losses to Indiana and Phoenix bookending a win over Los Angeles. A victory like this, even against a struggling opponent, doesn't change much overnight.