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Seattle Storm Clinch Playoff Spot with Gritty Win Over Golden State

The combination of Nneka Ogwumike and Brittney Sykes along with solid team performance from all players led Seattle to victory against the Valkyries and secured their playoff spot.

Edward Blair II

Sep 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm guard Erica Wheeler (17) and forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) celebrate after defeating the Golden State Valkyries at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Sep 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm guard Erica Wheeler (17) and forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) celebrate after defeating the Golden State Valkyries at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Storm Secure the Spot

The Seattle Storm are officially playoff-bound.In a game that came down to the final possessions, Seattle held off the Golden State Valkyries 74–73 to lock in their spot in the 2024–25 postseason. The team achieved victory in their match, which proved their ability to overcome challenges after facing numerous tough situations throughout the season.

Seattle improved to 23–21 on the year with the victory, giving them the cushion needed to guarantee at least one of the final playoff seeds in the competitive Western Conference. The team needed a victory at home to boost their spirits and establish a positive trend after their back-to-back losses.


Ogwumike Steady in the Spotlight

The veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike provided Seattle with their essential scoring during this season, just like she did in previous games. She finished the game with 16 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 7-of-13 from the field. The midrange scoring ability of Ogwumike, combined with her defensive work in the paint zone, provided Seattle with a balanced performance during the game, which sometimes seemed like a difficult battle.

The statistics failed to capture the full extent of her leadership abilities. Ogwumike took charge of the team huddle to maintain concentration during breaks while scoring vital field goals in the third quarter, which blocked Golden State from gaining dominance. Her career has been shaped by this particular composure, which Storm fans expect to see during the upcoming playoff games.

Backcourt Makes a Difference

The backcourt section of the team took most of the responsibility for scoring, while Ogwumike maintained stability in the team. Brittney Sykes scored 14 points, getting to the free-throw line eight times and converting all of them. The aggressive drives from her created defensive challenges for Golden State while also helping Seattle control the game speed during their defensive adjustments.

Skylar Diggins provided 10 points and six assists by functioning as the team's floor general, who distributed the ball to teammates while drawing defensive opponents. The 3-of-12 shooting performance did not help her, but her passing ability created chances for other players when the Valkyries applied double-team defense to Ogwumike.

Bench Unit Delivers

The bench at Seattle served as an essential element for the evening, although it remained unacknowledged. Erica Wheeler scored 17 points during her 32 minutes of playtime, making five three-pointers that helped create distance on the court. Wheeler made important shots to stop the Storm from losing their flow in the game.

Dominique Malonga, the rookie player, scored 9 points and collected 7 rebounds during her 22 minutes of playing time. The large size of the player and her active play on the glass created additional scoring opportunities, and her defensive work enabled Seattle to block Golden State's final scoring attempt.

Valkyries Fight to the End

Golden State faced an extremely difficult journey to achieve victory. Janelle Salaun delivered her most impressive performance of the season by scoring 22 points while making 8 of 13 field goals and 5 of 7 three-pointers. Temi Fagbenle led the team with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Kaila Charles added 12 points and 9 rebounds to the team.

The Valkyries experienced various turnovers, which prevented them from converting their available chances into points. The team lost possession of the ball 16 times while Seattle lost it 13 times, and their 34.5% three-point shooting performance kept them in the game, but they failed to produce crucial scoring opportunities.

The Golden State team lost their game, which resulted in a 23-20 record that secured their playoff position but made their following matches essential for achieving success.

Janelle Salaun
Sep 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun (13) shoots a layup against the Seattle Storm during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images


Numbers That Tell the Story

The Seattle team grabbed 37 rebounds compared to Golden State's 35, while Ogwumike and Magbegor secured 17 rebounds.

The bench scoring difference became the key element in the one-point game because Seattle's bench scored 26 points while Golden State's bench scored 17 points.

The Storm managed to make 7 three-pointers from 17 attempts at a 41.2% success rate, but the Valkyries achieved a 34.5% success rate by making 10 three-pointers from 29 attempts. Wheeler’s hot hand accounted for most of that margin.

The team made 15 out of 20 free throw attempts while Sykes achieved a perfect 8-for-8 performance. Those free throws proved to be the difference late.

Storm
Sep 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; The Seattle Storm celebrate after defeating the Golden State Valkyries at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

What It Means for Seattle

The Storm earned their playoff spot through their ability to stay strong despite dealing with multiple injuries, various lineup changes, and poor standing performance. The team's focus on winning through any means became evident in this match, according to head coach Noelle Quinn, who stated that they needed to discover methods for obtaining victory.

Seattle has started its efforts to establish its position. The Storm need to win their remaining games because a poor seeding position might force them to play against top teams, Minnesota or Las Vegas, in the first round. The team members believe they can win any match because they have diverse abilities and their leaders possess deep experience.


Looking Ahead

The Seattle team needs to win its last regular-season games against teams that are also fighting for playoff spots. The core group of Ogwumike, Diggins, and Sykes will stay intact, but Wheeler and Malonga bring new elements that could prove vital for success.

The Golden State team learned about the small difference between winning and losing in the Western Conference through this close loss. The Valkyries maintain their ability to create problems because Salaun and Fagbenle have become more involved despite their errors.

The Storm may not have blown out their opponent, but they didn’t need to. The team won their spot in the playoffs through their determination, which marked the beginning of the actual season.

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Edward Blair II
EDWARD BLAIR II

Edward Blair II is a sportscaster, journalist, and multimedia professional covering the Seattle Storm for Sports Illustrated’s On SI platform. He also writes for Illinois On SI and Last Word on College Football, providing coverage of the Fighting Illini and Michigan Wolverines. Blair is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). He brings a unique voice shaped by years of coaching, podcasting, and content creation across multiple platforms. In addition to his writing, Blair is the host of The Ed Blair Podcast and an intern video editor with Roundtable Sports Network, where he edits NFL content. He also serves as a freelance production assistant with Fox Sports, having worked major events including the IndyCar 500 content week.

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