Dallas Wings vs. Seattle Storm, Preview and Odds - 6/4/21
A pair of Western Conference teams tangle on the hardwood in a WNBA clash in the Pacific Northwest. The Dallas Wings are on the road as they take on the Seattle Storm Friday night. Dallas earned a 79-69 home victory over Los Angeles in their previous contest Tuesday night. Seattle rolled to an 88-73 home victory over Indiana in their most recent game Tuesday night. The Storm won the first meeting between the teams this season, earning a 100-97 overtime victory on May 22. That extended Seattle’s win streak in the series to nine games. Can the Wings find a way to earn a win in this contest?
Dallas Wings Look for Second Straight Win
Dallas got back in the win column as they took care of business against Los Angeles at home to snap a four-game slide. The Wings entered Thursday 2-4 on the year and sat tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with the Mystics. Dallas trailed by as many as seven in the opening quarter and by five after one before taking control of the game. The Wings outscored the Sparks 22-7 in the second quarter to lead by 10 at the half and didn’t look back. Dallas led by as many as 16 in the second half and didn’t let the Sparks closer than six the rest of the way. The Wings shot 39.4% from the field, including 10 of 28 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 41-24 margin. Tyasha Harris led Dallas with 18 points off the bench in the win.
The Wings come into this one second in the league in scoring with 88.5 points per game this season. Dallas is first in rebounding (38 boards per contest) but rank tied for 8th in the league in assists with 18.2 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 11th by allowing 86.3 points per contest. Allisha Gray is second on the team by averaging 23 points, six rebounds and five assists per game on the year. Arike Ogunbowale (21.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists), Marina Mabrey (19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists), Isabelle Harrison (8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (12.5 points, 8.7 rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Dana Evans, Kristine Anigwe and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Brian Agler. The Wings are sixth in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 43.4% as a team. Dallas is fourth in three-pointers per game (nine) and stand fourth in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 37.2% from long range. The Wings are fourth in free throw shooting as they convert 82.3% of their chances at the stripe. Gray is questionable as she is in the process of clearing health and safety protocols after taking part in the three-on-three qualifying for the Olympics as part of Team USA. Satou Sabally, who represented Team Germany, is still listed as out.
Seattle Storm Seeking Sixth Straight Victory
Seattle ran their win streak to five as they took care of business against the lowly Fever at home in their most recent contest. The Storm entered Thursday atop the WNBA playoff picture with a 6-1 mark as they earned the win in Noelle Quinn’s first game as head coach. Against Indiana, Seattle trailed 5-0 early and by five midway through the first quarter before starting to take control. The Storm outscored the Fever 19-4 over the final 5:12 of the first quarter to take a nine-point edge and didn’t let Indiana closer than three the rest of the way. Seattle shot 43.2% from the field, including 11 of 22 from three-point range, and hit 21 of 24 free throws in the win. Breanna Stewart led the Storm with 28 points and six rebounds in the win.
The Storm comes into this contest first in the league in scoring offense with an average of 89.6 points per game. Seattle is fourth in rebounding (37.4 boards per contest) and is first in the league in assists by dishing out 21.9 dimes per night this year. The Storm is 9th in scoring defense as they allow 83.7 points a game so far this year. Breanna Stewart leads the team with 23.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. Jewell Loyd (19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists) and Sue Bird (11.7 points, 5.9 assists) are solid secondary options. Coach Noelle Quinn has a solid group to work with as her team can get production from Katie Lou Samuelson, Jordin Canada, Candice Dupree, Ezi Magbegor, Stephanie Talbot, Kennedy Burke, Epiphanny Prince and Kiana Williams. The Storm are second in the league in field goal percentage as they convert 45.2% of their shots from the floor this year. Seattle is second in the league in three-point field goals made per game (9.4) and is second in three-point percentage as they knock down 39.1% percent from beyond the arc. The Storm are average at the line, ranking sixth in the league by converting 81.7% of their chances. Samuelson is in the health and safety protocols as she returned from being part of Team USA’s qualifying efforts for three-on-three hoops in the Olympics. Mikiah Herbert Harrington is out for the year as she is pregnant.
Pick: Seattle Storm -9.5
Seattle has won five straight games, a win streak that includes an overtime win on the road over the Wings. While Dallas earned the win in their last game against the Sparks, the fact remains that they had dropped four in a row ahead of that game. The Wings struggle on the defensive end of the floor and that’s going to be a challenge for them dealing with a Storm team with a trip of dangerous options plus a good group of secondary players that can contribute. Playing at home works in Seattle’s favor, as does the fact that they have such a cohesive group. Give the advantage to the Storm as they extend their win streak to six.
Total: Over 170.5
The first meeting between the teams a couple weeks ago saw them combine for 197 points. Dallas has seen the over hit in half of their six games but they are second in scoring offense in addition to second-worst in scoring defense. Meanwhile, Seattle leads the league in scoring offense while they are below average on the defensive end of the floor. The Storm have seen the over hit in five of their seven games on the year. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, we’ve seen the over hit in six of them, including each of the last two matchups. Look for this one to be another track meet type of game that zips past the mark.
