The Dallas Wings will continue their attempt to secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs when they square off against the Seattle Storm on Thursday in Arlington, Texas, in the teams’ penultimate game of the regular season.
The Wings (20-18) play their final home game after losing their past two at home. A win would have given them the fourth seed, and a home series, in the best-of-three first-round series. Minnesota is the fifth seed and a game behind Dallas with two games to play.
Satou Sabally paced Dallas with 27 points on Tuesday in a 94-93 loss to the New York Liberty. Sabally, however, missed a 16-foot jumper with three seconds remaining that would have given the Wings the lead at the end of a fourth quarter that featured eight ties and six lead changes.
Arike Ogunbowale added 19 points for Dallas, with Natasha Howard racking up 14 points and 10 rebounds, Teaira McCowan amassing 11 points and 12 boards off the bench and Crystal Dangerfield scoring 12 points. The Wings have dropped four of their past six games but still have their destiny in their own hands.
“We have a great team — we have great chemistry,” Sabally said. “We want to be champions, and I feel like we’re setting up and fighting for that winning culture.”
The Storm (11-27) have been eliminated from the postseason for the first time since 2015 and for only the sixth time in 24 WNBA seasons. Their win total in 2023 will be fewest since capturing 10 games, also in 2015.
Seattle heads to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex after a 79-68 loss in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Jewell Loyd dropped 26 points in the setback, giving her 878 for the season and moving her ahead of Diana Taurasi (who had 860 points in 2006) for second-most in WNBA history. Breanna Stewart has 885 points for New York this season. Both Stewart and Loyd have two regular-season games remaining.
“Honest, I have not thought about it all season,” Loyd said. “I think you guys have talked about it more than I have. I’m just trying to finish this season healthy, competing with my teammates.”
Sami Whitcomb added 13 and Ezi Magbegor hit for 12 and contributed a game-high eight rebounds. The Storm have lost five of their past six games.
–Field Level Media
