May 19, 2022

Daily Briefing — May 19, 2022: TOO EZI — Magbegor leads Seattle in thrilling win

Can Lynx topple Aces?

Seattle Storm big Ezi Magbegor dribbles up the court while a Minnesota Lynx defender hangs nearby

Seattle big Ezi Magbegor (13) tied her career-high of 21 points in the Storm's big win over the Chicago Sky. (Photo credit: Lydia Ely | The Next)

Happy Thursday — the workweek’s almost passed! Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the W Roundup, daily Watch List, and Yesterday’s Recap. Day 11 of the WNBA season is here, following a day that packed the thrill of five games into one! The Sky came into Seattle, where they swept the Storm last year, and fell behind big after a close start. The game might’ve been close at the end, but when you’re up against Storm Superstar Ezi Magbegor (and some second fiddle^* named Breanna Stewart), there’s only so much you can do.

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Elsewhere, Russian basketball teams were banned from World Cup competition, due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

But first, read:

Our Jacqueline LeBlanc went in-depth on Asjha Jones, both as a player and as a coach, and her connection to Connecticut, following her induction to the Sun’s ring of honor
I presciently dove into how Magbegor’s defensive showcase against the Mercury highlights her development
ESPN’s William E. Ricks looked at the league’s best early-season fits

W Roundup

Seattle: Released combo forward Kaela Davis, her hardship terminating with big wing Breanna Stewart clearing health and safety protocols.

Watch List, Thursday, May 19

(All times in Eastern, Game Of The Day in bold)

Minnesota @ Las Vegas, 10 p.m., League Pass (Local: Bally Sports North, My LV TV)

Dallas @ Phoenix, 10 p.m., League Pass (Local: Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Bally Sports Arizona Extra)

Wednesday, May 18 recap

Seattle beat Chicago, 74-71. The Sky trailed by only one point in the mid-second quarter, then the Storm went on a 16-3 run through the early third; Seattle led by double-digits as late as 2:28 in the fourth, before Chicago scored the final nine points. The Sky shot 4.8% better from the field and 6.9% better from three, but the Storm took seven more free-throws and five more rebounds; the teams combined for a ridiculous 88.1% assist rate; Seattle notched 10 steals, part of 33 combined turnovers.

Big Ezi Magbegor led the Storm career-high-tying 21 points on 9-for-13 FG (0-1 3pt.), six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks; big wing Breanna Stewart had 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting (0-3 3pt.), five rebounds, two assists, and four steals against three turnovers; combo guard Jewell Loyd and point guard Sue Bird struggled to a combined 11 points on 4-for-19 from the field and 2-for-10 from three, but offset that with 12 assists against four turnovers.

Chicago was led by center Azurá Stevens’ 18 points on 8-for-13 FG (2-3 3pt.) and five rebounds in 25 minutes; bigs Candace Parker and Emma Meesseman combined for 22 points on 10-for-20 shooting (Parker 1-3 3pt.), 16 rebounds, and five assists, with the latter adding four turnovers; point guard Courtney Vandersloot had a double-double with 11 points on 4-for-12 from the field (1-4 3pt.) and 12 assists, plus four rebounds and two steals against four turnovers.

*This is sarcasm

Sites: The Next, Basketball News, ESPN, Athletic, Swish Appeal, newsletters

Written by Em Adler

Em Adler (she/they) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.