The Washington Mystics still are the only winless team left in the W. Their 0-12 start is the worst in franchise history
Their last three games have been extremely competitive, which is the story of most of their loses this year. Here is a recap of last week’s games and some of the biggest takeaways:
Thursday, June 6: Mystics 71, Sky 79
This game was the highly-anticipated duel between Aaliyah Edwards and Angel Reese, who were taken one spot apart in this year’s draft.
Washington went into halftime with an eight-point lead and Aaliyah Edwards was phenomenal. She finished the game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in what was arguably the best showing of any rookie this season. Edwards has been a huge bright spot for Washington, and with Shakira Austin still injured, she has taken advantage of the starting spot in a big way
It was the third quarter for Washington that doomed them. They will often go through stretches where they struggle to score and Thursday’s game was no exception. The Sky outscored them 25-10 in the quarter and the biggest culprit was the turnovers and second-chance points.
Chicago is one of the best rebounding teams in the league and Reese and Kamilla Cardoso both had two offensive rebounds in the third. Combined, the two Chicago rookies grabbed nine offensive rebounds, which is hard to overcome given how much Washington struggled to score in this game. 19 second-chance points for Chicago sealed Washington’s fate.
Friday, June 7: Mystics 83, Fever 85
In front of what was the largest crowd to watch a WNBA game in 25 years, Washington and Indiana gave fans a show last weekend, as Caitlin Clark and the Fever came to town. Unfortunately for Mystics fans, this was the game where Clark found her rhythm and wreaked havoc on the Mystics’ backcourt.
Her perpetual motion discombobulated the Mystics’ defense, particularly when she was put off ball and coming off away screens that forced Washington’s guards to chase her around. Clark made seven 3s in this game, and despite the Mystics’ best effort at mounting a comeback, it fell just short.
Stefanie Dolson had her best game of the season for Washington, finishing with 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3. What made her difficult to contain for Indiana was her pick-and-pop ability, which is different from the rest of Washington’s bigs. Having someone like Julie Vanloo, who gets doubled in pick and roll more than any guard in the WNBA (via Synergy), makes life easier for everyone.
Even though Washington hasn’t won, there are plenty of things to take away from their offensive and defensive process that are hopeful.
Sunday, June 9: Mystics 88, Liberty 93
Washington has now lost three games this season to the Liberty, so on the bright side, they won’t have to see them again for another three months. Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu were such a difficult cover for DC because they are threatening in so many different ways.
Jones finished with 29 points and made three 3s, which is a scary sight for any team trying to defend her. Jones routinely punished mismatches and used her size to gain inside position on Washington’s forwards. Meanwhile, Ionescu absolutely shredded Washington’s defense on “Rip DHOs”, which is when a shooter sets a back screen and then receives a handoff, usually at the top of the key. The reason this is so hard to contain is because Washington has to defend and help out on cutters, while also staying attached to Ionescu coming off screens and draining threes.
For Washington, Myisha Hines-Allen and Jade Melbourne combined for 41 points off the bench. Hines-Allen has played well to start this year, finally looking like the player she was before her knee injury in 2021.
So while the Mystics haven’t had the success they would’ve liked, they certainly aren’t a bad watch. They will look to get their first win of the season Tuesday night against the Atlanta Dream (7:30 p.m. ET, LeaguePass).