That Nine-Point Lead The Storm Blew? It Tells You Everything About This Season

Alright, Emerald City, can we talk? We are in some rough waters right now, and it's getting tougher to ignore. Our Seattle Storm, sitting at a brutal 3-11 overall, just dropped their seventh straight game. SEVEN. And get this: they blew a NINE-POINT lead late in the third quarter against Los Angeles on Wednesday, only to lose 88-83. It feels like we're watching the same movie on repeat. Dominique Malonga is back, leading the team with 14.8 points and 6.0 rebounds after missing eight games with a concussion, but even her return hasn't been enough to turn this ship around. Now, we've got the Golden State Valkyries rolling into town on Friday, and they've already shown us what they can do.

What's Going Wrong Here?

Seriously, what is happening? Not only are we on a seven-game losing streak, but we're also winless against Western Conference opponents, sitting at a tough 0-6. In the Commissioner's Cup? Forget about it, we're 0-5. Coach Sonia Raman, in her first year, didn't pull any punches after that LA game. She talked about "defending without fouling and being able to keep our opponents off the glass better," saying there are "some good rotations" and "good initial parts" to our defensive possessions, but those two areas are what we really need to "shore up." You know it, I know it, we all see it: the defense has to lock in, period. Blowing a nine-point lead in the third quarter? That's just tough to swallow, and it’s why we’re staring down a 3-11 record.

Here Comes Golden State

And who rolls into town tonight? None other than the Golden State Valkyries, and yeah, they’re feeling themselves after snapping a two-game skid with an 87-81 Commissioner’s Cup victory over Phoenix. They’re sitting pretty at 7-5 overall and 2-2 in Cup play. Our former player, Gabby Williams, who was a key offseason acquisition for them after four years here in Seattle, absolutely balled out, dropping 25 points against Phoenix. Veronica Burton matched her with 25 points too. Gabby even straight up told us, "We would have preferred for it to not be that close... But obviously we've lost a couple close ones, so I think just being able to figure it out even when things go wrong, even when they hit tough shots. Like, just staying together. I thought our composure took a really big leap." Talk about a gut punch from an ex-teammate, right? This team isn't just good now; they made history last year as the first WNBA expansion franchise to finish above .500 and make the playoffs in 2025, which jacked up expectations for them. Remember when they came into our house on May 8 for the season opener and handed us a 91-80 loss? Janelle Salaun dropped 20 points and tied her career-high with five 3-pointers that night. Even their coach, Natalie Nakase, who took the blame for a five-game stretch where their defense was the worst in the league, admitted she had "high expectations" for newcomers like Williams and Kiah Stokes, saying "I can't just throw all these game plans and expect them to pick it up like that." So yeah, they're coming in with momentum and a point to prove. This ain't gonna be easy. So, here we are. The Storm desperately needs a win on Friday at home to stop this bleeding. Can they finally put together a full 40 minutes of solid defense? Can Dominique Malonga's leadership ignite something? Or will the Valkyries, led by an old friend, come in and extend our losing streak even further? We're watching, we're hoping, and we need our Storm to find that fight ASAP.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.