Storm vs Mercury starts with Seattle short-handed. The Seattle Storm will face the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday without Jordan Horston, Ezi Magbegor, and Taina Mair, while Monique Akoa Makani is questionable for Phoenix.
Natisha Hiedeman gives Seattle its clearest scoring lift. She has scored 14 or more points in six straight games and is averaging 17.8 points in that stretch, with 14 or more in 10 of 16 games this season.
Hiedeman Drives Seattle's Volume
Hiedeman also leads the Seattle Storm in field goal attempts and 3-point attempts, so her recent run is not just a hot hand. It is the center of the offense’s shot chart, and that matters when the roster is already missing three players.
Dominique Malonga supplies the other end of Seattle’s scoring picture. She leads the Storm at 15.8 points per game and carries a 29.9 usage rate, then followed that up with a career-best 28 points in her last game.
Phoenix Injury Report Tightens
The Mercury bring their own absences into the matchup. Jovana Nogic and Sami Whitcomb are out, and Monique Akoa Makani sits in the questionable column, which leaves Phoenix with one more decision before tipoff and fewer ways to match Seattle’s perimeter scoring.
That injury board sits beside the standings. Phoenix is 3-13 and Seattle is 4-12, and the Storm enter after a 10.1-point jump in offensive rating over their last four games while Phoenix’s net rating fell by 7.6 points over the same span.
Seattle And Phoenix Split Form
The numbers still leave room for a tighter game than the records suggest. Phoenix has the 11th-ranked defensive rating, but it has allowed the third-most points in its last three games at 94 per game, while Seattle is 3-1 against the spread over its last four.
For bettors and lineup watchers, the list is the story: Seattle’s available scoring has narrowed around Hiedeman and Malonga, and Phoenix may still need to decide on Akoa Makani before Saturday. Will Monique Akoa Makani ultimately play against the Seattle Storm?
