Washington Mystics vs. Chicago Sky Prediction, Preview and Odds - 7/10/21
A pair of Eastern Conference teams close out their pre-All-Star Game, pre-Olympics schedule with a clash in the Windy City. The Washington Mystics are on the road as they travel to face the Chicago Sky Saturday night. Washington blew a big lead and ended up losing 82-79 on the road to the Liberty in the Big Apple last Saturday in their most recent game. Chicago split a two-game road series with Dallas as they were beaten 100-91 in their most recent game last Friday. In the first meeting this season, it was the Sky taking a 70-56 road victory on May 15. Even with that defeat, the Mystics have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams.
Washington Mystics Looking to Bounce Back After Meltdown
Washington blew a big lead as they were dropped by the Liberty to suffer their fourth straight loss. The Mystics fell to 7-10 on the year and entered Friday ninth in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game behind the Wings for the final playoff spot. Against New York, Washington used a 14-2 run over the final 3:50 of the first quarter to take a 13-point edge after one and extended their lead to as many as 19 in the first half. The Mystics were up 18 at halftime and led by 20 with 8:49 to play in the third quarter before things came apart. Washington was still up 10 after three quarters and had a three-point advantage with 1:58 to play. Unfortunately, they went scoreless the rest of the way, giving up the final six points to take the loss. Washington shot 42.7% from the field, including five of 24 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 39-34. Tina Charles led the Mystics with 31 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in the defeat.
The Mystics are seventh in the league in scoring offense with an average of 81.5 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 10th in the league in rebounding (34 boards per game) and is 6th in assists by handing out 19.3 dimes a night. The Mystics are ninth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 83.8 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 25.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest this season. Ariel Atkins is one of two other players scoring in double figures as she puts up 17 points a night. Erica McCall, Myisha Hines-Allen (14 points, 7.1 boards), Natasha Cloud, Theresa Plaisance, Sydney Wiese, Stella Johnson, Shavonte Zellous, Leilani Mitchell, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Megan Gustafson are key pieces for coach Mike Thibault. Washington is 11th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 40.6% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are second in the league in threes per game (9.8) and stand 10th in the league in three-point percentage (33.5%) on the year. Washington is excellent at the charity stripe as they are third in the league by sinking 83% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne is currently still out as she continues her recovery from offseason back surgery. McCall (knee) and Hines-Allen (knee) are out while Cloud (ankle) is expected to return after missing the last several games.
Chicago Sky Hoping to Bounce Back
Chicago lost for just the second time in their last 10 games as they were beaten by Dallas in the second game of a two-game road set. The Sky fell to 10-9 on the season and entered Friday holding the fifth seed in the WNBA playoff picture, two games clear of the Mystics to remain on the right side of the cut line. Chicago led by as many as 10 late in the first quarter before giving up a 9-0 run to trim their edge to one after the opening quarter. The Sky trailed by three at the half and by as many as 10 in the third quarter before cutting the deficit to two after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Sky rallied and held a 91-90 edge with 1:41 to go but saw the Wings close the game on a 10-0 run to end up with the loss. Chicago shot a blistering 56.1% from the field, including seven of 20 from three-point range, but couldn’t overcome Dallas shooting 53.1% in the game. Candace Parker finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to lead six players in double figures in the loss.
The Sky is 6th in the league in scoring offense as they muster 82 points per contest this season. Chicago is fifth in rebounding (36.2 boards a night) and third in assists by dishing out 20.9 dimes a game. The Sky is good on defense as they are second in the league by allowing an average of 78.8 points a contest. Kahleah Copper is one of five players averaging in double figures for the team with 13.9 points plus 4.9 rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (12.9 points, 8.4 boards), Astou Ndour-Fall (9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard (8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds) are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields (12.3 points), Courtney Vandersloot (11.4 points, 8.7 assists), Allie Quigley (11.8 points), Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Azura Stevens, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is 7th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.8% as a team. The Sky are near the bottom of the pack in threes per game as they are 9th with 6.8 per contest: they are 7th in three-point shooting at 34.2%. Chicago comes in first at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 86.5% at the stripe.
Pick: Chicago Sky
Chicago missed a chance to sweep the Wings in their two-game road set and return home for this contest. The Sky have sputtered a bit at home, going 3-5 this season compared to their 7-4 road mar on the year. With that said, Chicago is healthy and winners of eight of their previous 10 games. We’ve seen Chicago’s offense pick up their production in the last few weeks and they are still solid on the defensive end of the floor. Washington just blew a 20-point second half lead in their last game against New York and they are missing several key contributors. Getting Cloud back could help the Mystics but without Hines-Allen and Delle Donne to help Charles, it’s too much to ask for them to prevail here. Take the Sky at home in this contest.
Total: Over
Washington has seen the over hit in 11 of their 17 games coming into this contest. The Mystics have had their issues on the defensive end of the floor, which could be an issue against a rejuvenated Chicago offensive attack. While the Sky is good on the defensive end, they have shown some cracks at times, as we saw in the game with Dallas in their last outing. As it stands, Chicago has seen the over hit in 10 of their 19 games on the year, including two straight and seven of their last 10. The Sky gets to face a Washington team that is shorthanded and soft on the defensive end of the floor. Look for Chicago to find a way to slice up the Mystics’ defense enough to push this over the mark.
