Game Info
Verizon Center | 7pm | Broadcast: Monumental Sports Network | #MysticsWings Tickets |
Projected Lineup
Mystics (0-1): G – Cloud, G – Hartley, G – Hill, F – Meesseman, C – Dolson
Wings (1-1): G – Phillips, G – Simms, F – Christmas, F – Pierson, C – Paris
*Wednesday Morning Update
Kahleah Copper went through morning shootaround and could be available in tonight’s game. She rolled her ankle in Tuesday’s practice but anything she could provide would be a big boost to a Mystics’ team that is already without Ivory Latta, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and Ally Malott. Copper was in the starting lineup on Saturday, but could be limited to a reserve role because of her injury status tonight.
Watch her interview with Dan Nolan in today’s Mystics Minute.
Shorthanded Mystics
When the ball is tipped Wednesday night, head coach Mike Thibault will likely only have eight available bodies to his disposal as the Mystics continue to deal with the injury bug. Ivory Latta (knee) and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (ankle) are expected to miss their second straight game, while Ally Malott (elbow) and Kahleah Copper (ankle) have joined them on the injury report for Wednesday’s night’s contest against Dallas. Malott took a hard spill at the very end of the first half of Saturday night’s game against New York and injured her right arm, which should keep her out for a couple of weeks. Copper rolled her ankle at Tuesday’s practice and that’s expected to keep her out of the lineup against Dallas.* (See Wednesday’s update above)
If the Mystics choose to start Bria Hartley in Copper’s place, they won’t have any guards available off the bench and will have to get creative in how they choose to rotate their ball handlers. Rookie Zoi Dimitrakou (knee) returned to practice this week and should make her WNBA debut Wednesday night. The team could choose to play with a bigger lineup and use Dimitrakou at the SF spot to help spell some time for the three healthy guards, but that will all depend on how Thibault wants to match up with Dallas. The only other two options off the bench will be center Kia Vaughn and forward Tianna Hawkins.
Dallas Also Missing Keys Players
While the Mystics will be without much of their core, the Wings will also be playing without two of their stars. Skylar Diggins is still listed as day-to-day as she recovers from an ACL injury, while Glory Johnson is suspended for the first seven games of the year. Both Diggins and Johnson are former all-stars and are expected to be two of Dallas’ cornerstone players. Without them, Odyssey Simms will be asked to carry much of the offensive load, while third-year forward Theresa Plaisance has gotten off to a hot start, averaging 13.0 points off the bench over the first two games of the season. The Wings added veteran point guard Erin Phillips in the offseason, who will start in Diggins place until she gets healthy.
Three Keys
When asked about keys to success against Dallas, Thibault referred to these three areas:
- Offensive Rebounding
- Wings’ center Courtney Paris led the WNBA in rebounding last year (9.3 rpg) and averaged 3.0 offensive rebounds per game.
- Keeping Dallas Off Free-Throw Line
- “They try and jump into you, they’ll flop, they do all those things to draw fouls and we have to not take the bait.”
- Taking Care of the Ball
- “They force a lot of turnovers, its how they get extra possessions, so even though they don’t shoot a great percentage, they get more field goal and free-throw attempts than their opponents.”
He said the goal will be to neutralize these three components of the game and make these categories even.
Conditioning
For a variety of reasons, the Mystics had to spend most of camp without much their backcourt being able to practice in full, which resulted in some needing to catch a second wind in Saturday’s opener. With another few days of practice under their belt, Thibault felt that the conditioning has improved and now he’ll be able to use them for longer stretches of time. Although, he won’t have much of a choice as the team only has so many available players for this game. After Saturday’s opener, he noted that Emma Meesseman may have still been going through some jet lag as she only returned to the team at the end of training camp after completing her overseas play. After playing in a game and then going through a few days of practice, he was optimistic that she would return to form in Wednesday’s tilt against Dallas.
History
Wednesday night’s game will be the Mystics first ever against the Dallas Wings, a team that just moved to Texas after spending six seasons as the Tulsa Shock.
The Mystics will play in Dallas for the first time on June 8th.