Dallas Wings vs. Washington Mystics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 8/26/21
A pair of teams fighting for playoff positioning do battle in an interconference matchup on the WNBA hardwood in the nation’s capital. The Dallas Wings are on the road as they travel to face the Washington Mystics Thursday night. Dallas was edged 83-81 at home by Indiana in their most recent contest Friday night. Washington rolled over Los Angeles 78-68 at home Tuesday night in their previous game. The Wings have won the last three matchups between the teams, including an 85-74 home victory in the first meeting this season on June 26. Prior to that, Washington had won five straight and six of seven matchups.
Dallas Wings Battling for Playoff Position
Dallas is rested, having had five days between games leading into this one, but they suffered their fifth loss in six games as they were knocked off by Indiana at home. The Wings entered Wednesday 10-14 on the year and are tied for the final playoff spot in the WNBA picture with the Sparks though they own the head-to-head tiebreaker. On Friday night, Dallas used a 16-2 run spanning the first and second quarters to take a 31-19 advantage but couldn’t maintain that momentum. The Wings saw their lead trimmed to three at the half though they extended to a five-point edge after three quarters and led by eight with 3:46 to play. Dallas went cold after that, getting outscored 11-1 the rest of the way to wind up with the loss as they gave up the winning three-point play with 7.2 seconds to go. The Wings shot 46.7% from the field, including nine of 22 from three-point range, but were hurt by 14 turnovers in the contest. Isabelle Harrison led Dallas with 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the loss.
The Wings come into this one third in the league in scoring with 83.7 points per game this season. Dallas is fifth in rebounding (36.3 boards per contest) but rank 8th in the league in assists with 18 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 8th by allowing 83.2 points per contest. Arike Ogunbowale (18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists) is one of five players scoring in double figures for the Wings this season. Allisha Gray (11.5 points), Marina Mabrey (13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists), Isabelle Harrison (10 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (eight points, 5.6 rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Satou Sabally (12.4 points, 6.3 boards), Dana Evans and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Vickie Johnson. The Wings are eighth in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 42.6% as a team. Dallas is fourth in three-pointers per game (8.4) and stand second in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 36.9% from long range. The Wings are second in free throw shooting as they convert 84.3% of their chances at the stripe. Sabally (Achilles) missed the last two games and is questionable for this contest.
Washington Mystics Looking to Stay Hot
Washington had dropped four straight and eight of their previous nine games before steamrolling Los Angeles at home Tuesday night. The Mystics improved to 9-14 on the year and entered Wednesday 10th in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game behind the Wings for the final playoff spot. Against Los Angeles, Washington bolted to a 14-0 lead and cruised the rest of the way. The Mystics led by 17 after the opening quarter, by 29 at the half and led by as many as 37 in the second half en route to the blowout win. Washington eased off the gas in the second half, allowing the Sparks to make the final score more respectable. The Mystics shot 44.4% from the field, including eight of 18 from three-point range, and had a 41-35 advantage on the boards in the contest. Myisha Hines-Allen led Washington with 19 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
The Mystics are seventh in the league in scoring offense with an average of 80.9 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 8th in the league in rebounding (34.8 boards per game) and is 7th in assists by handing out 18.9 dimes a night. The Mystics are ninth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 83.3 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 25.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest this season. Ariel Atkins is one of two other players scoring in double figures as she puts up 16.3 points a night. Erica McCall, Myisha Hines-Allen (13.3 points, 7.8 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 40.5% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are second in the league in threes per game (9.2) and stand 8th in the league in three-point percentage (32.8%) on the year. Washington is in the middle of the pack at the charity stripe as they are fifth in the league by sinking 82.3% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne made her season debut against the Storm August 22 after recovering from offseason back surgery. Charles (hip) has been ruled out for the second straight game here.
Pick: Washington Mystics
Both teams could be minus a big post presence here with Sabally dealing with her Achilles injury and Charles battling a hip issue. Washington did bounce back with a win on Tuesday as they pretty much ran Los Angeles off the floor in the first half of the contest. The return of Delle Donne has been a nice boost for the Mystics and they get to face a Dallas team that has issues on the defensive end of the floor. Washington is still in striking distance for a playoff spot and her return could prove to be the spark they need in order to have success. The Wings are coming in off a loss to the Fever and they fall short here as the Mystics prevail at home.
Total: Under
Dallas has seen the under go 13-10-1 in their 24 games despite the fact that they are third in the league in scoring offense this season. It makes for a surprise that they’ve fallen short of the mark so many times, though some of that can be attributed to inflated totals. Washington has seen the over hit in 13 of their 23 games and their offensive numbers should improve with Delle Donne getting more up to game speed. The Mystics see an average of 162.9 points per game in their home contests while Dallas sees an average of 165.9 points per contest on the road. In the first meeting this season, the teams combined for 159 points, staying short of the total. That marked seven of the last 10 meetings that ended up short of the mark. With Charles missing for the Mystics, points might be a little lower than anticipated, leaving this one short of the mark.