Los Angeles Sparks vs. Washington Mystics Preview, Prediction and Odds - 6/10/21
It’s an interconference matchup on the parquet floor in the nation’s capital in WNBA action. The Los Angeles Sparks are on the road as they make the trip to face the Washington Mystics Thursday night. Los Angeles earned a 68-63 home win over Chicago in their previous contest Saturday afternoon. Washington picked up an 85-81 home win over Minnesota in their most recent game Tuesday night. The teams split two meetings in the bubble last season with the “road” team prevailing in each game. In the most recent matchup, it was the Mystics taking an 80-72 win on September 10, 2020. That gave Washington six wins in the last eight meetings.
Los Angeles Sparks Try to Maintain Momentum
Los Angeles won their second straight and their fourth in the last five games as they won a rock fight with the Sky at home Saturday. The Sparks hope to carry that momentum on the road as they entered Wednesday 4-3 and holding the fourth seed in the WNBA playoff picture. Against Chicago, Los Angeles led by 11 with a minute to play in the opening quarter, by seven after one and by nine at the half only to find themselves even heading to the final stanza. The Sparks trailed 57-53 with 5:40 to play in regulation before reeling off a 12-1 run over the next nearly five minutes to take a seven-point edge with under a minute to play. Los Angeles didn’t let their lead drop below four after that to secure the win. The Sparks shot 36.8% from the field, including three of 19 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 43-38, though they forced 18 Chicago turnovers in the win. Erica Wheeler led Los Angeles with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in the victory.
On the season, Los Angeles is 10th in the league in scoring offense as they average 76.1 points per game. The Sparks are last in rebounding (29.3 boards per game) and 12th in assists (15.4) this season. Los Angeles is 2nd in scoring defense as they give up an average of 76.6 points a night. Nneka Ogwumike leads the team with 16.4 points plus seven rebounds a game this season. Chiney Ogwumike (nine points, 5.7 boards) and Kristi Tolliver (9.4 points) are solid secondary scoring options. Derek Fisher hopes to get more from role players like Brittney Sykes, Nia Coffey (10.4 points), Erica Wheeler (11.6 points, 3.7 assists), Te’a Cooper, Amanda Zahui B (11 points, six boards), Arella Guirantes and Bria Holmes. Los Angeles is ninth in field goal percentage on the season as they shoot 40.3% from the field as a team on the year. The Lakers are sixth in three-pointers per game (eight) and 6th in three-point shooting as they convert 35.2% from beyond the arc this season. Los Angeles is 10th in success at the charity stripe as they cash in 76.1% of their attempts on the year. Jasmine Walker was lost for the season with a torn ACL that she suffered against Las Vegas May 21. Chiney Ogwumike missed the last three games with a knee injury and is questionable here. Nneka Ogwumike is expected to miss four to six weeks with a knee sprain sustained against the Wings June 1.
Washington Mystics Hope to Build Off Win
Washington had dropped two straight and five of their first seven games to start the season but earned a home win over Minnesota on Tuesday night to get back in the win column. The Mystics improved to 3-5 on the season and sat ninth in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game behind the Wings for the final playoff spot. Washington trailed by as many as nine in the first quarter Tuesday night only to get within one after the opening quarter. The Mystics took a five-point lead at the half, led by as many as 18 in the second half and by 14 after three quarters. Washington got a bit complacent in the final stanza, allowing Minnesota to creep within four twice in the final minute, but hung on to get the victory. The Mystics shot 42.6% from the field, including six of 20 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 36-29 yet prevailed, in part due to forcing 21 Minnesota turnovers. Tina Charles led Washington with 31 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
The Mystics are seventh in the league in scoring offense with an average of 81 points per contest this season. Washington comes in eighth in the league in rebounding (34.4 boards per game) and is 8th in assists by handing out 18.5 dimes a night. The Mystics are sixth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 81.8 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 25.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest this season. Ariel Atkins is one of two other players scoring in double figures as she puts up 17.8 points a night. Erica McCall, Myisha Hines-Allen (15.4 points, 8.2 boards), Natasha Cloud, Theresa Plaisance, Sydney Wiese, Kiara Leslie, Stella Johnson, Shavonte Zellous, Leilani Mitchell and Jillian Alleyne are key pieces for coach Mike Thibault. Washington is 11th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 39.7% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are third in the league in threes per game (nine) and stand 8th in the league in three-point percentage (32.1%) on the year. Washington is excellent at the charity stripe as they are second in the league by sinking 86.3% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne is currently still out as she continues her recovery from offseason back surgery. Wiese (ankle) left the game against the Sun May 28, missed the last two games and is questionable here.
Pick: Washington Mystics -5.5
While Los Angeles comes in with some momentum with four wins in their last five games after a 0-2 start to the season, there are things going against the Sparks. They are shorthanded, being minus Walker and both Ogwumike sisters, taking a big chunk of their offensive attack out of the mix. While Wheeler has stepped up in the last couple games, the fact remains that Zahui B is going to have her hands full in the low block trying to contain Charles, who leads the league in scoring. Los Angeles struggles shooting from the perimeter, which is going to be problematic as well. Washington showed grit in their win over Minnesota and they are at home here. Playing at home, you have to give the upper hand to the Mystics.
Total: Under 159.5
Los Angeles has struggled offensively this season and they can’t expect a ton of second chance opportunities given the fact that they are last in the league in rebounding. The Sparks struggle shooting the ball and that’s going to be an issue for them when it comes to putting points on the board. Los Angeles has seen the under hit in six of their seven contests on the year. Washington is in the middle of the pack on both ends of the floor, though they need to find a way to knock down some shots with more consistency in order to have success. The Mystics have gone over the total in five of their eight contests this season but the fact remains that the under has hit in four of the last five meetings between the teams. In addition, seven of the last 10 matchups have fallen short of the mark. With the Sparks missing players and struggling offensively, this one ends up short of the mark.
