Washington Mystics vs. New York Liberty Prediction, Preview and Odds - 7/3/21
A pair of struggling Eastern Conference teams are on the hardwood in a WNBA clash in the Big Apple. The Washington Mystics are on the road as they travel to face the New York Liberty Saturday afternoon. New York was edged 73-69 on the road by Atlanta Tuesday night to split a two-game series. Washington was dropped 90-71 at home by Connecticut Tuesday night in their most recent contest. In the first meeting between the teams this season, it was Washington rolling to a 101-72 victory at home on May 21. That gave the Mystics nine wins in the last 10 meetings between the teams.
Washington Mystics Hoping to Bounce Back
Washington lost their third straight game as they were drubbed at home by Connecticut Tuesday night in their most recent contest. The Mystics entered Friday 7-9 on the season and stood ninth in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game behind the Mercury for the final playoff spot. Against Connecticut, Washington never led as they were down 10-2 just over three and a half minutes into the game and couldn’t get closer than three the rest of the way. The Mystics were within that three-point mark early in the second quarter before giving up an 8-0 run to trail 37-26 with 4:25 to play in the first half. Washington was unable to get closer than eight after that. The Mystics shot 38.1% from the field, including 12 of 36 from three-point range, and were destroyed 52-13 on the glass. Tina Charles led Washington with 26 points in the loss.
The Mystics are sixth in the league in scoring offense with an average of 81.7 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 9th in the league in rebounding (34 boards per game) and is 6th in assists by handing out 19.2 dimes a night. The Mystics are ninth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 83.9 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 25.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest this season. Ariel Atkins is one of two other players scoring in double figures as she puts up 17.5 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 and Megan Gustafson 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 second in the league in threes per game (10.1) and stand 7th 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 84.2% 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 questionable.
New York Liberty Trying to Regain Early Season Success
New York lost for the eighth time in their last 11 games after a 5-1 start as they were edged by Atlanta on the road to wind up with a split of the two-game set. The Liberty fell to 8-9 on the year and entered Friday holding the sixth seed in the WNBA playoffs, half a game ahead of the ninth-place Mystics. New York trailed Atlanta by two after the opening quarter and by six at the half. The Liberty trailed by as many as seven in the third quarter before rallying to lead 69-65 with 4:02 to play in the contest. Unfortunately for New York, they wouldn’t score the rest of the way as they gave up the final eight points to take the loss. The Liberty shot 40% from the field, including nine of 24 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times in the contest. Betnijah Laney led New York with 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
The Liberty comes into this contest 9th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 80 points per game. New York is 8th in rebounding (34 boards a night) and fifth with 19.6 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks 10th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 85.6 points per game. Betnijah Laney leads the Liberty with 19.7 points plus 5.3 assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (10.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, six assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (10.2 points) are also capable scoring options. Sami Whitcomb (12.2 points, 5.5 boards), Natasha Howard (14.5 points), Kylee Shook, Rebecca Allen, Jazmine Jones, Reshanda Gray and DiDi Richards are key contributors for coach Walt Hopkins. New York is 6th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.9% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is first in the league in made threes per game (10.2) while ranking fourth in three-point shooting at 35.7%. New York is 7th in free throw percentage as they cash in 80.4% of their chances at the stripe. Howard is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained MCL sustained May 24 against Dallas. Allen missed the last two games with plantar fasciitis and is questionable here.
Pick: New York Liberty
Washington is extremely shorthanded after making some roster moves earlier this week in an effort to create roster flexibility for later in the season. The Mystics played just six players in the loss to the Sun and gave up more offensive rebounds (17) than they collected total (13) in the contest. New York is missing a couple key players but with Laney, Whitcomb and Ionescu leading the way, they still have the weapons to take care of business. The Liberty gets their perimeter shooting going and take advantage of the shorthanded Mystics. Give New York the advantage at home in this contest.
Total: Over
Washington has seen the over hit in 11 of their 16 games coming into this contest. The Mystics have had their issues on the defensive end of the floor while New York is actually a rung below them when it comes to scoring defense. Both teams have the ability to knock down shots from the perimeter as they are first and second in the league in threes per game. New York has seen the over hit in 10 of their 17 contests this year and has a chance to get their offense firing on all cylinders. The over hit in the first meeting this season and given the issues both teams have on the defensive end of the floor, this one follows suit.
