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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Commentary: The Storm are obviously improved. Can they be elite?

Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, left, dribbles up the court against Las Vegas Aces center Megan Gustafson (17) at Michelob ULTRA Arena during a June 19 game in Las Vegas.   (Tribune News Service)
By Mike Vorel Seattle Times

Wednesday was “Kid’s Day” at Climate Pledge Arena.

If you watched the game, you understand the irony.

Because the Las Vegas Aces’ 84-79 victory over the previously streaking Storm was, in every sense, a grown woman’s game. Two-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Aces chiseled 24 points and 20 rebounds, the first 20/20 game of her accomplished career. Las Vegas guard Jackie Young poured in a team-high 27 points, including a personal 9-0 third-quarter run that silenced a sellout crowd.

The Storm, meanwhile, bolted out of the blocks with manic defensive effort — as forward Jordan Horston forced an errant shot, then flexed and roared in righteous glee; as Storm center Ezi Magbegor crashed to the court for coveted rebounds; as Sami Whitcomb picked a pocket and converted a contested layup on the other end.

At halftime, Las Vegas — the two-time defending champ — had converted just 12-of-36 field goals (33%) and 2-of-14 3-point tries (14.3%). Seattle leveraged a hurricane of hustle and unselfish offense into a 36-30 lead.

But the Aces’ depth — bolstered by four U.S. Olympians in Wilson, Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray — proved undeniable. After managing 30 first-half points, the Aces ripped off 30 more (on 10-for-16 shooting) in the third quarter alone. If it wasn’t Wilson, it was Young. If it wasn’t Young, it was Plum.

This, it seems, was death by depth.

And disappearing defense.

“We can’t give up a 30-point quarter,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “It was a team defensive effort [issue] and lapse. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to come back from that.”

The Storm, meanwhile, struggled to counterpunch — draining just 3-of-17 attempts from distance (17.6%) in defeat. That included missed three-pointers by Nneka Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd in the closing seconds, each of which would have dramatically tied a three-point game.

Seattle entered the day converting just 30.1% of its three-point tries, tied for last in the league.

“A lot of our offense stems from our defense,” said Magbegor, who contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. “When we’re being aggressive, when we’re getting deflections and playing help defense, that triggers our offense. We want to do that all four quarters. We did a good job of starting the game like that, but obviously they have great players.”

Which begs a bigger question.

Through 22 games, Seattle (14-8) has made massive strides, buoyed by the additions of former MVP Ogwumike (17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds per game) and All-Star point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (13.9 PPG, 6.3 assists per game). Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith joined Magbegor (13.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks per game) and 2023 WNBA scoring champion Loyd (19.9 points, 5 rebounds per game) to form a formidable “core four,” which has spurred Seattle to separate four- and six-game winning streaks.

The Storm — who finished 11-29 in 2023 — are obviously improved.

But can they be elite?

Because in the WNBA, the path between “good” and “great” is perilous to cross. As it stands, four teams are situated in front of Seattle — New York (18-4), Connecticut (17-5), Minnesota (16-6) and Las Vegas (14-7).

The Storm are a combined 2-6 against those four opponents … and 12-2 against everyone else. That includes a 1-2 mark against Las Vegas, and Minnesota — which owns a 3-0 record against the Storm — returns to Seattle on Friday.

And, of the fab five, Seattle isn’t the only team touting significant star power.

New York has Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. Connecticut has DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas. Minnesota has Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride. Las Vegas has Wilson, Young, Plum and Gray — an unfairly lengthy list.

So, how does the “core four” compare?

The answer may evolve.

“They’ve [Las Vegas] played together for a long time. They’ve logged a lot of minutes,” Quinn said. “We don’t have the same amount of minutes or games, haven’t gone through a championship. They have a leg up in that area.

“Are we where we want to be in the middle of the season? No. This was also a good test to see where we match up.”

On “Kid’s Day,” a crowd filled with kids in multicolored shirts and a parade of lovable local mascots saw a group treading the path between “good” and “great.”

We’ll see if they get there.