Storm vs. Wings: Can Jewell Loyd Continue Her On-Song Performances? A Look at Injury Report, Starting 5 and Prediction

The Dallas Wings will battle it out against the Seattle Storm on Monday at the Climate Pledge Arena. While the Wings have an abysmal 4-14 tally, the Storm have a 12-6 stat. Nonetheless, the game will be exciting since the Wings have lost most of their game by a close margin and hence, they can give tough competition to the Storm.

Meanwhile, when the Storm step onto the court tonight, they will be looking to extend their 3-game winning streak. Both teams have a lot of raw power which can translate into tough competition from both sides.

Players to Watch

One of the main players for the Wings is going to be Arike Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale has scored 23.9 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and 5 assists per game. She has been a ray of hope for the Wings team and has even touched a ceiling of 31 points when played against the Chicago Sky this season. If the Wings are to win this game, then Ogunbowale should get going.

Similarly, another player to keep an eye on is Natasha Howard. Howard stands next to the top scorer Ogunbowale with 15.2 points per game and 7.2 rebounds. The 6 feet 2 inch athlete has taken complete advantage of her height which is reflected in her rebound average. Howard will have to play second fiddle to Ogunbowale and help her team win the game.

On the other hand, the Storm have been able to win games because they have shown collective efforts from their stars. Their guard Jewell Loyd has scored 19.9 points per game with 5.4 rebounds. In the game played against the Wings on Saturday, Loyd scored 30 points with 5 rebounds and an equal number of assists. Therefore, fans will be curious to see if she can replicate her last game’s performance and take the Storm to victory.

Another athlete who can turn the tables is Skylar Diggins-Smith. Smith has scored 14.2 points per game with 6.2 assists per contest. Therefore, she has shown her efficiency in playing a supporting role against the Storm. Though in her contest against the Wings on Saturday, Smith could only score 11 points nonetheless she will be tested this time again, and hope she comes out with flying colors.

Head to Head

As per AiScore, the Wings have played a total of 68 matches against the Storm and have emerged victorious in 25 games whereas the Storm have won the remaining 43. The history certainly tilts in favor of the Storm.

The game will take place in Seattle where the home team has won 68.6% of their clashes against the Wings. Plus, in their most recent game on Saturday, the Storm won by a 97-76 tally. Hence, it will be interesting to see if the Wings are able to redeem themselves.

Prediction

Both the Storm and Wings have had high-scoring games. But in their clash on Saturday, the Storm kept a check on the Wings’ offense. The Wings have stalwarts like Ogunbowale who enjoy playing an out-and-out offensive game and hence, the Wings crack under pressure whenever their offensive game is contained.

The game therefore will once again be a contest of offensive strategies and whoever performs better on the day has a chance of winning. But seeing the collective effort from the Storm, Smith’s team has more possibilities of clinching the match.

Injury Report

The Dallas Wings have three injured players – Maddy Siegrist, Satou Sabally, and Jaelyn Brown. All three of them have been sidelined indefinitely. While Siegrist recently underwent surgery on her broken index finger, Sabally will most probably make a comeback after the Olympics. Meanwhile, Brown has been out for an extended period of time.

Starting 5

Dallas Wings: Natasha Howard, Arike Ogunbowale, Sevgi Uzun, Jacy Sheldon, Teaira McCowan

Seattle Storm: Ezi Magbegor, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Nneka Ogwumike, Jordan Horston

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.