Mystics Insider Blog

Guest Contributor – Andrew Willett

The Washington Mystics looked refreshed and prepared in its return from the All-Star break with a strong 2-1 week. Starting with a two-game west coast trip, Washington handled the Los Angeles Sparks, then lost a nail biter to the Phoenix Mercury before sweeping yet another season series with a win over the Minnesota Lynx.

Outside of a rough second quarter in Phoenix, the Mystics played winning basketball in what was otherwise an undefeated week. Solid team outings and MVP performances from Elena Delle Donne (EDD) kept Washington in fifth place in the WNBA standings at 16-11. Winners in five out of seven, the Mystics can take a short break in the schedule with one game this week after a loaded three-game week.

Sparks Keep Flying

The Mystics played three games in six days and returned from the break with a bang. The offensive uptick carried over for Washington which scored 85+ points for the fourth time in the last five games in a 94-81 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. The 94 points totaled a season-high for the Mystics as EDD carried the load. Delle Donne came out of the All-Star break just like she entered it, scoring a season-high 26 points in both games. It equaled the first time Delle Donne scored 20+ points in back-to-back games since the 2019 season (8/8/19-8/11/19).

But EDD did not reach 20+ points alone, as Natasha Cloud made her presence known with a season-high 21 points in just her fourth career game of 20+ points. In an all-around phenomenal performance, Cloud scored 21 points on 6-11 shooting with three triples, four rebounds, two steals and nine assists. The one-two punch of Delle Donne and Cloud took control down the stretch as they combined to score 19 of the Mystics’ 25 fourth-quarter points in a stellar shooting performance for the team. Washington hit 50.8% from the field including 10/22 three-pointers, assisting on 24 of 33 made field goals. The Mystics had 10 steals to win the turnover battle 18-12. Against bigs such as Liz Cambage and Chiney Ogwumike, Washington dominated down low winning points

in the paint 40-26 and outrebounding the Sparks 35-23. The Mystics now stand at 15-5 when winning the points in the paint battle.

Hard to Win in Phoenix

Washington came out blazing in the desert, leading 26-11 through the first ten minutes of play. But the Phoenix Mercury made a run of its own behind a 32-point second-quarter and tied the game at 40 with 1:09 to go in the first half as the game became a back-and-forth affair. Nonetheless, the Phoenix Mercury eventually pulled away at home 80-75. Washington was attempting to win in Phoenix for the first time since the 2018 season and gave itself a fighting chance down the stretch but the second quarter along with 29 points from Diana Taurasi proved too much to overcome.

Outside of a 29-14 run including a 13-2 run by the Mercury, Washington controlled the game, outscoring Phoenix 61-51 over the other 32 minutes of action. The Mystics dominated the boards 42-31 and assisted on 19 of 22 made field goals to stay right in the mix behind a total team effort. The Mystics’ top-two scorers in average led the way as Delle Donne recorded her second double-double of the season with 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds and Ariel Atkins also reached double-figures with 14 points. Four others chipped in 7+ points while everyone who played scored at least two points. The rotation from Head Coach Mike Thibault looks to solidify down the stretch as Myisha Hines-Allen, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Elizabeth Williams, and Rui Machida all play essential roles off the bench.

Sweeping Through Minnesota

The Washington Mystics got the brooms out for a second time this season (4-0 against the Atlanta Dream) by taking down the Lynx 70-57 to finish 3-0 on the season against Minnesota. The win tied the longest winning streak over the Lynx in series history and secured the second sweep of Minnesota over the last four years (2019, 2022). The team got out to a slow start, but this time Washington pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring Minnesota 24-11 behind a 15-4 start. To no surprise at all, Delle Donne led all scorers with 17 of her 21 heading into halftime. EDD has averaged 22 points per game (PPG) since the All-Star break and 23 PPG over her last four games as she is up to ninth in the WNBA at 17 PPG. She put up 20+ points in a team-best sixth game and the third over her last four. She scored 15+ in 14 of her 18 appearances and she did so while picking up her second consecutive double-double and third on the year. The team goes as Delle Donne takes it, winning 7 of 10 games where Delle Donne leads in scoring and improving to 2-1 when she records a double-double.

Atkins contributed 15 points for the 15th straight game and the 25th game in 27 appearances, tops in the WNBA. Cloud kept up her all-around act with seven points, six rebounds, and a game-high eight assists. The performance equaled her 23rd game on the season with 5+ assists, best in the W and the second-most in a single season in her career (25, 2018 and 2019). Shakira Austin also collected seven rebounds to move to third amongst Mystics’ rookies all-time with 20 5+ rebound games. And Walker-Kimbrough continues to make her presence felt off the bench as she tallied 11 points on 4/5 shooting and 2/3 from three as she averages 10.3 PPG in three games since the break (12, 8, 11).

Despite reaching only 70 points, the Mystics assisted on 21 of 26 field goals, a trend that consequently leads to wins as the Mystics are 14-4 when out assisting the opponent on the season. Furthermore, by limiting Minnesota to 57 points, the Mystics moved to 8-0 when holding opponents to less than 70 points scored.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, the Mystics finally get to rest with only one game this week staying at home to face the New York Liberty. The Liberty sit 10th in the standings, just a game back of the final playoff spot. New York gave Washington troubles earlier in the season and it will fight to make up ground in the playoff race. The Liberty heads out for a three-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Connecticut with only one day of rest before facing the Mystics on Thursday.

The first matchup between these two teams was an important win for the Liberty who sat at just 2-7 before taking down the Mystics 74-70. Two weeks later, Washington fell to New York again, 77-65. While the first matchup came down the wire with New York stealing the lead late from Washington, the second matchup simply saw New York shoot better than Washington, assisting on 21 of 31 made field goals compared to 14 assists on 24 made field goals for the Mystics. We will see how our squad responds at home with a few days of rest before and after the matchup.