Washington Mystics vs. Dallas Wings Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/26/21
It’s an interconference matchup on the parquet floor in WNBA action down in the Lone Star State. The Washington Mystics are on the road as they travel to face the Dallas Wings Saturday afternoon. Washington was surprised 89-82 on the road by Los Angeles in their previous contest Thursday night. Dallas trounced Indiana 89-64 on the road in their previous game Thursday night to get back in the win column. The Wings won both meetings in the bubble last season, with both contests going to overtime before being decided. In the most recent meeting, Dallas took a 101-94 overtime win as the “road” team on September 6, 2020.
Washington Mystics Looking to Regroup
Washington couldn’t build off their road win over league-leading Seattle as they were knocked off on the road by the shorthanded Sparks Thursday night. The Mystics fell to 7-7 on the season and entered Friday holding the fifth seed in the WNBA playoff picture. Against Los Angeles, Washington started strong, leading 8-0 two minutes into the game and by as many as 11 in the first quarter. The Mystics saw the lead cut to six after one before getting outscored 32-21 in the second quarter to trail by five at the half. In a back-and-forth third quarter, Washington battled back and forth before ending the stanza down by one. The Mystics gave up the first five points of the fourth quarter and never got closer than one the rest of the way. Washington shot 40% from the field, including 11 of 27 from three-point range, but turned the ball over 20 times in the loss. Leilani Mitchell led the Mystics with 26 points and six rebounds in the defeat.
The Mystics are fifth in the league in scoring offense with an average of 83 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 7th in the league in rebounding (35.6 boards per game) and is 7th in assists by handing out 18.7 dimes a night. The Mystics are ninth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 83.4 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 25.3 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 17.9 points a night. Erica McCall, Myisha Hines-Allen (14 points, 7.1 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 12th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 40.5% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are tied for first in the league in threes per game (10.1) and stand 6th in the league in three-point percentage (34.6%) on the year. Washington is excellent at the charity stripe as they are second in the league by sinking 84.5% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne is currently still out as she continues her recovery from offseason back surgery. McCall (knee), Hines-Allen (knee) and Cloud (ankle) are out while Leslie (concussion) is questionable. The Mystics signed Megan Gustafson Monday after being granted a hardship exemption by the league.
Dallas Wings Try to Win Second Straight
Dallas had dropped three of four but had little problem dispatching a struggling Indiana team on the road Thursday night in their last game. The Wings entered Friday 7-8 on the year and held the seventh seed in the WNBA playoff picture though they were only percentage points ahead of the 10th-place Sparks. Against Indiana, Dallas was only tied at zero and two before reeling off a 10-2 run to take a 12-4 lead. The Wings never looked back, leading by 12 after one quarter and by 21 at the half. Dallas was up as many as 28 in the second half en route to the one-sided win. The Wings shot 47.1% from the field, including eight of 25 from three-point range, and controlled the boards by a 34-29 margin en route to the win. Satou Sabally had 15 points and nine rebounds to lead six Dallas players in double figures.
The Wings come into this one third in the league in scoring with 84.5 points per game this season. Dallas is first in rebounding (37.7 boards per contest) but rank 10th in the league in assists with 17.6 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 7th by allowing 81.4 points per contest. Arike Ogunbowale (19.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists) is one of four players scoring in double figures for the Wings this season. Allisha Gray (10.1 points), Marina Mabrey (15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists), Isabelle Harrison (eight points, 5.9 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (8.9 points, 5.9 rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Satou Sabally (13.3 points, 5.9 boards), Dana Evans, Kristine Anigwe and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Brian Agler. The Wings are ninth in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 42.2% as a team. Dallas is fourth in three-pointers per game (8.6) and stand second in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 36.4% from long range. The Wings are fourth in free throw shooting as they convert 83.6 % of their chances at the stripe.
Pick: Dallas Wings
Washington put together a solid win over Seattle on the road but stumbled against the Sparks. The Mystics played just seven players in the loss to the Sparks and they are minus McCall, Hines-Allen and Cloud again here, not to mention Delle Donne. Dallas is healthy and their defensive metrics have improved since Gray and Sabally returned to the mix earlier this month. The Wings have played 10 of their 15 games on the road this season so it’s got to be nice for them to have a home tilt here. Dallas has too many weapons and too deep a rotation for the shorthanded Mystics to deal with here. The Wings even their record with a victory here.
Total: Over
Even with their shorthanded rotation, Washington still cracked the 80-point mark against a Sparks team that has been one of the better defensive teams in the league in the first six weeks of the season. Dallas is in the middle of the pack when it comes to scoring defense but they are one of the league’s elite offensive attacks, especially with the return of Sabally to do damage in the low block. Washington has seen the over hit in 10 of their 14 games this season. While Dallas has seen the under hit nine times with a push in their 15 games, the fact remains that when these teams hook up, points are plentiful. Last season’s two meetings saw 193 and 195 points, respectively, and three of the last four matchups have gone over the mark. Look for this one to follow suit.
