Washington Mystics vs. Los Angeles Sparks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/24/21
A pair of major market teams take the floor in WNBA action in the City of Angels. The Washington Mystics are on the road as they make the trip west to face the Los Angeles Sparks Thursday night. Washington comes in off an 87-83 road upset of league-leading Seattle Tuesday night in their last game. Los Angeles was edged 76-73 at home by New York in their previous game on Sunday night. The Mystics took the first meeting this season, prevailing 89-71 at home on June 10. That extended Washington’s success in the series as they have prevailed in seven of the last nine meetings entering this contest.
Washington Mystics Seek to Maintain Momentum
Washington won their third straight and their fifth in the last six games as they upended the league-leading Storm and ended their six-game win streak. The Mystics improved to 7-6 on the season and stand fourth in the WNBA playoff picture. Washington led by three after the opening quarter and was up as many as 15 in the first half before seeing their edge cut to seven at the half. The Mystics led by five in the final minute of the third quarter before giving up a 10-0 run that left them down 74-69 with 7:16 to play. Washington was still down one with 4:05 to play before going on an 8-0 run to go up 85-78 with 1:40 to go. The Mystics managed to hold on from there to earn the win. Washington shot 44.2% from the field, including 16 of 38 from three-point range, and held a 39-36 edge in rebounding in the game. Tina Charles led the Mystics with 34 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in the win.
The Mystics are fifth in the league in scoring offense with an average of 83.1 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 7th in the league in rebounding (35.5 boards per game) and is 6th in assists by handing out 18.8 dimes a night. The Mystics are ninth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 83 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 18.3 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 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 (10) and stand 6th in the league in three-point percentage (34.2%) on the year. Washington is excellent at the charity stripe as they are second in the league by sinking 84.7% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne is currently still out as she continues her recovery from offseason back surgery. McCall (knee) is out while Leslie (concussion), Hines-Allen (knee) and Cloud (ankle) are questionable. The Mystics signed Megan Gustafson Monday after being granted a hardship exemption by the league.
Los Angeles Sparks Try to Regroup at Home
Los Angeles lost their second straight and their fourth in the last five games as they were edged at home by New York Sunday. The Sparks dropped to 5-7 on the season and stood 10th in the WNBA playoff picture though they are percentage points behind the Wings for the final playoff spot. Los Angeles trailed by three after one quarter and was down one with 4:30 to play in the first half before giving up a 14-2 run. That left the Sparks down 49-36 with 8:02 to play in the third quarter. Los Angeles rallied with a 22-9 run the rest of the quarter to leave the game even after three quarters. In the final quarter, the Sparks took a four-point lead with 6:20 to play before giving up an 11-4 run that left them down 74-71 with 1:44 to play and couldn’t get even again. Los Angeles shot 45.6% from the field, including six of 24 from three-point range, and failed to capitalize on a ridiculous 30 turnovers by the Liberty. Erica Wheeler led the Sparks with 20 points, six rebounds and 10 assists in the defeat.
On the season, Los Angeles is 12th in the league in scoring offense as they average 74.3 points per game. The Sparks are last in rebounding (29.4 boards per game) and 12th in assists (14.9) this season. Los Angeles is 3rd in scoring defense as they give up an average of 78.4 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 (10.2 points) are solid secondary scoring options. Derek Fisher hopes to get more from role players like Brittney Sykes, Nia Coffey (9.2 points), Erica Wheeler (12.8 points, 4.5 assists), Te’a Cooper, Amanda Zahui B (10.3 points, 5.7 boards), Arella Guirantes and Bria Holmes. Los Angeles is 12th in field goal percentage on the season as they shoot 39.8% from the field as a team on the year. The Sparks are fifth in three-pointers per game (7.6) and 10th in three-point shooting as they convert 33.6% from beyond the arc this season. Los Angeles is 11th in success at the charity stripe as they cash in 73.3% 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 nine games with a knee injury and is out indefinitely. Nneka Ogwumike is expected to miss four to six weeks with a knee sprain sustained against the Wings June 1. She is expected to be out until early to mid-July.
Pick: Washington Mystics
Washington is flying high right now with three straight wins and five victories in their last six games. While the Mystics are a bit shorthanded, having Cloud, Hines-Allen and Leslie bumped up to questionable is a step in the right direction. Charles leads the league in scoring this season and she’s shown an ability to carry the team on her back when necessary, such as Tuesday’s game with the Storm. Los Angeles has been putrid offensively and that puts a lot of pressure on the defense to try and carry the team. Even when it came to forcing 30 turnovers against New York, the Sparks still couldn’t get enough done offensively and took the loss. With Washington clicking and the Sparks floundering, this one ends up going to the visitors.
Total: Under
Washington has seen the over hit in nine of their 13 games but the fact that they are dealing with a shorter rotation than usual could prove problematic when it comes to putting points on the board. The Mystics are also facing a Los Angeles team that is dead last in the league when it comes to putting points on the board. One thing the Sparks can rely on is solid defensive play as they are third in scoring defense, which is going to be what they have to lean on to stay in the game. The first meeting this season just edged over the total by 1.5 points but seven of the last nine meetings have ended up short of the mark. Given the way the Sparks struggle shooting the ball, this contest ends up short of the total.
