Washington Mystics vs. Minnesota Lynx Prediction, Preview and Odds - 9/4/21
A pair of teams that would be in the WNBA postseason if the season ended today take the floor in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Washington Mystics are on the road as they travel to face the Minnesota Lynx Saturday night. Washington comes in off an 85-75 home defeat to a scorching Connecticut team Tuesday night in their last game. Minnesota knocked off Los Angeles 66-57 at home in their most recent game Thursday night. In the series between the teams, Washington has won two straight and five of the last six meetings. That includes an 85-81 home win in the first matchup this season on June 8.
Washington Mystics Hoping to Get Healthy for Stretch Run
Washington lost for the fifth time in seven games as they were outgunned at home by a streaking Connecticut team Tuesday night. The Mystics enter this game 10-16 on the season and stood eighth in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game in front of the Liberty for the final playoff spot. On Tuesday, Washington trailed by six after the opening quarter, by 10 early in the second quarter and by two with 1:26 to play in the first half. Things imploded from there as the Mystics gave up a 16-6 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to trail 55-43 and never made a run after that. Washington shot 45.5% from the field, including nine of 26 from three-point range, but took a 38-20 beating on the boards. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough led the Mystics with 17 points in the loss.
The Mystics are seventh in the league in scoring offense with an average of 80.3 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 11th in the league in rebounding (33.3 boards per game) and is 7th 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 25.4 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 15.5 points a night. Erica McCall, Myisha Hines-Allen (13.8 points, 7.3 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 40.8% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are second in the league in threes per game (9.2) and stand 9th in the league in three-point percentage (32.9%) on the year. Washington is in the middle of the pack at the charity stripe as they are sixth in the league by sinking 81.3% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne made her season debut against the Storm August 22 after recovering from offseason back surgery. She will miss her third straight game here after leaving a contest August 26 early. Charles (hip) has missed the last four games but has been upgraded to questionable for this contest.
Minnesota Lynx Look to Keep Moving Up the Standings
Minnesota won their fourth straight and their 12th in the last 14 games as they took care of Los Angeles in a defensive struggle Thursday night. The Lynx improved to 17-9 on the year and enter this one with momentum on their side. They are fourth in the WNBA playoff picture, 3.5 games behind the Sun for the top spot. On Thursday night, Minnesota used a suffocating fourth quarter to rally for the win. The Lynx trailed by two after the opening quarter, by six at the half and by as many as nine with 7:13 to play in the third quarter. Minnesota cut the deficit to two after three quarters and then shut Los Angeles down, outscoring them 15-4 in the final stanza for the win. The Lynx shot 34.5% from the field, including seven of 22 from three-point range, and controlled the boards by a 43-28 margin. Kayla McBride led the team with 17 points in the win.
On the season, the Lynx are 6th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 81.5 points per game. Minnesota is 8th in rebounding as they collect 34.8 boards a night while the team is fourth in assists by dishing 20.2 dimes a night. The Lynx are third in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 78.5 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles is currently leading the team with 16.6 points plus 10.3 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (14.2 points), Crystal Dangerfield (7.6 points, three assists) and Aerial Powers (9.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (16 points, 6.5 rebounds, three assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (10.5 points, 5.7 assists), Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands second in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 45.2% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are 9th in the league in three-pointers per game (6.7) and 7th in three-point shooting as they hit 34% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 4th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 83.5% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Clarendon (leg) is questionable at best here with a stress reaction in her right tibia. Rennia Davis (foot) is out indefinitely at this point in time. On Friday, it was announced that Dantas was done for the season.
Pick: Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is hot, with four straight wins and 12 victories on the ledger in their last 14 games. The Lynx can beat you in high-octane shootouts or by grinding it out and making things difficult on the defensive end of the floor. It makes them tough to gameplan for because you don’t know what to expect on any given night. Washington is banged up and could be minus their two cornerstones again here with Delle Donne out and Charles a question mark after missing the last four games. While the Lynx miss Dantas and Clarendon, having Collier, Fowles and McBride to lead the way provides plenty of offense for them. Minnesota is at home and they have momentum on their side. Look for the Lynx to come up with the victory here.
Total: Over
We saw these teams combine for 166 points in the first meeting, which was nearly three months ago, to end up over the mark by half a point. That marked the seventh time in the last 10 meetings that the teams managed to go over the total. While both teams have been under machines of late as Washington snapped a string of five straight unders by going over the mark against the Sun, while the Lynx have three straight unders and seven of their last 10 entering this one, this one has a different feel. When these two teams meet, high-scoring affairs seem to materialize. Given the trend we’ve seen when they collide, look for the over to sneak one in here.