Wings' Playoff Push Dependent on Team Defense
The Dallas Wings went 5-1 in their last six games. A majority of their turnaround was due to their offensive skillset. But, what about the defense?
The month of July has been kind to the Dallas Wings. Since the beginning of the month, the team has gone 6-2 with losses to the one-seeded Las Vegas Aces and third-seeded Connecticut Sun.
One reason for the Wings’ turnaround was the offense. This season, the team ranks third in points per game and first in offensive rebounds. Overall, the Wings average 85.8 points per game and 12.2 boards.
This is all due in part to the group’s big three: Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally, and Natasha Howard. This season, Ogunbowale is averaging 22 points, the third highest in the league. Over the past three games, she has dropped 25 points. Her three-point game has been her lethal weapon. Over the past three games, she has shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. Against the New York Liberty last week, she went 4-8 from three.
As for Howard and Sabally, they have nearly identical numbers. Howard is averaging 17.7 points and 8.2 rebounds, while Sabally is putting in 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds. Against the Los Angeles Sparks last week, they combined for 54 points and 22 rebounds. Pairing them alongside Teaira McCowan has been the difference. In the team’s eight game this month McCowan has averaged a double double in five of those contests. She had her best game Tuesday, as she scored a season high 21 points and 15 rebounds against the Sun.
With the offense rolling, it will be up to the defense to keep things afloat.
This season, the Dallas’ defense has been up and down. Some highs include leading the league in defensive rebounding percentage and opponents points inside the paint. On average, the team brings in 27.3 defensive boards. However, there are various low points.
Currently, the Dallas’ defense sits 7th in the WNBA’s defensive ratings. Blocks and opponent’s fast break points seem to be the underlining issues. In both categories the Wings rank just outside the top five.
Another concern is transition defense. On Tuesday, the Dallas’ defense could not move fast enough to stop Connecticut from scoring. With five minutes left in the 4th quarter the Wings were up 75-69. Things soon changed with 3:31 left in the game. With both teams tied, Dallas let the lead slip away. They allowed Connecticut to knock down back to back threes within a minute and half stretch. This proved to be costly, as the Wings fell to the Sun 88-83.
“That was a two minute stretch I wished we had done better,” Coach Latricia Trammell said.
Breaking down the team’s defense in the game
With 8:55 left in the first quarter, the Wings defense left Sun player Tiffany Hayes wide open for a shot. The team had three players inside the post, but no one near the three-point line. Fast forward to the fourth quarter with 3:08 left and the same thing happened. This time it was four against five, as Sabally was still running up the court.
Another issue was inside the post. With 1:25 left in the third, Sabally and McCowan both let Hayes run right by them for a layup. A similar issue happened with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, as Hayes zoomed her way to the basket. She went from the top of the key to inside the post for an easy basket. The Wings tend to either play behind their offensive player or struggle to move one step ahead.
The Dallas defense will have their work cut out for them these next couple of games. With the Washington Mystics up next, the team will need to control the paint if they hope to have a chance. Washington currently scores 21% of their points inside.
After that, it’ll be a date with the Aces. Las Vegas is tricky because they can do a little bit of everything, especially shoot from beyond the arc. As a team, they are knocking down 37.6 percent of their attempted threes.
If Dallas has any chance of getting homecourt advantage in the playoffs, it’ll be up to the defense to do their part. With a month and half left of the season, there is still plenty of time for improvement.