The Seattle Storm are experiencing a dreadful season, while star guard Jewell Loyd keeps delivering memorable performances.
Loyd and the Storm will be back on the floor Wednesday night against the host Atlanta Dream, one night after the five-time All-Star tied the WNBA record with nine 3-pointers in Seattle’s 93-86 loss to the host Washington Mystics.
Loyd equaled the mark set by Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell in 2019 in her latest superlative individual effort. She scored 39 points to raise her WNBA-best scoring average to 25.7 points per game, and she also leads the league with 66 3-pointers.
But her latest exploits couldn’t prevent the Storm (4-15) from dropping their sixth straight game and eighth in the past nine. Seattle trailed by 25 points late in the third quarter before Loyd single-handedly cut into the margin with 18 points on six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
But those 15 turnovers that led to 20 Washington points were disturbing to Loyd.
Playing a road back-to-back would be challenging at any time, but it’s not a good time to play the Dream (10-8), who have won five straight games, the last four by double digits.
Atlanta has its own high-scoring guard in Rhyne Howard, who is second in the league with 50 3-pointers. Howard was added to Saturday’s All-Star Game on Tuesday to replace injured Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics.
Howard averages 18.7 points and posted a career-high 43 points in a 112-84 rout of the Los Angeles Sparks on July 2. She tallied 32 points on Sunday when the Dream beat the Chicago Sky 88-77 to sweep a two-game road set between the teams.
Howard’s addition makes it three Atlanta players on the All-Star roster. The others are Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker. Parker has been hot with three straight double-doubles.
Ezi Magbegor joins Loyd as Seattle players in the All-Star Game.
