The Seattle Storm, our very own 7-31 cellar-dwellers, are somehow rolling into Wednesday night’s game as favorites. Yeah, you read that right. This is a wild twist for the WNBA’s worst team, and honestly, it only makes sense when you look at who’s showing up for the Toronto Tempo. With the entire postseason field already locked up, this 10 p.m. ET tip is all about pride and, let’s be real, boosting our chances in the WNBA Draft lottery.
Our Storm, A Rare Favorite (Again?)
It’s truly a bizarre situation, having our Storm listed as favorites. This marks only the sixth time this season they’ve held that status. And if history is any guide, it’s not exactly been a good omen before, with a 1-4 record against the spread in those five previous games. Only Connecticut has been favored less this year, clocking in at just four games. For a team that’s struggled this much, being handed the favorite tag is less about our prowess and more about the absolute disaster happening on the other side of the court.
Toronto’s Injury Apocalypse is Our Opportunity
The reason for this bizarre favorite status? Toronto’s roster is an absolute M*A*S*H unit. This expansion squad looked like they might actually overachieve early on, even snagging a winning record through their first 12 games. But then, yikes, it all went south. They’ve only managed four wins in the 25 games since, with just one on the road, and haven’t strung together back-to-back victories all year. Their leading scorer, guard Marina Mabry (20.8 PPG), hasn’t played since August 18 and might miss the rest of the season with an adductor injury. Second-leading scorer Brittney Sykes (18.6 PPG) is straight-up done for the season, only playing 17 games due to injury. Guard Julie Allemand (6.3 PPG, team-best 5.6 APG) is off representing Belgium at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, so she’s out too. Trade deadline pickup Aneesah Morrow (9.3 PPG, team-best 6.6 RPG) is also done for the year. Nyara Sabally (12.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG) is sidelined for a few weeks with a calf injury, and Maria Conde (9.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG) has missed the last five games with her own calf injury and is questionable. Basically, it’s the worst injury situation in the whole WNBA. What’s left? Guard Kiki Rice, the No. 6 overall pick out of UCLA. She’s been averaging 15.3 points and 4.6 assists in the last five games and totally deserves to be on the WNBA’s All-Rookie Team. But she’s practically holding the whole thing together herself.
Toronto just snapped a 12-game losing streak last Friday with a win in Vancouver over Portland, but then they were right back to losing ways Sunday, dropping a 10-pointer to Las Vegas, also in Vancouver. This game kicks off a three-game trip out West for them, and they’ve only got four road wins all season. So, yeah, it’s a mess. For our Storm, this Wednesday night clash is a chance to show some pride and, more importantly, maybe nudge our way to a better position in that draft lottery. Let’s get it!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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