Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson (31) celebrates Wednesday, July 10, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Mystics defeated the Fever, 89-84.
The Phoenix Mercury have secured their playoff spot while the Washington Mystics are making a late run.
Washington faces a big game Thursday night when it visits Phoenix and continues its push for a surprise playoff berth.
The Mystics (10-23) have won four of their last five games and suddenly find themselves just one game behind the Chicago Sky (11-22) and Atlanta Dream (11-22) for last place.
The fact that Washington is even in the race with seven games remaining is surprising after the team lost its first 12 games of the season.
Mystics coach Eric Thibault maintains there hasn’t been any discussion about the playoffs.
The focus has been on the team’s recent solid play.
In their 90-86 road win over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, Washington held a massive 50-13 advantage in points off the bench. Emily Engstler was the key player among the reserves with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. She also hit three 3-pointers.
“It’s nice to see the top three go down; that helps a little bit, I can’t lie,” Engstler said. “But I don’t know, I just felt comfortable. I’ve felt comfortable lately in general. And I just try to take advantage of that. And I think we played against them, as a collective, really well. And that’s contagious.”
Phoenix (17-17) is 1-3 entering the finale of a five-game homestand, with the lone win securing a playoff spot Tuesday when the Mercury beat Atlanta 74-66.
Kahleah Copper scored 28 points to pace the Mercury.
Natasha Cloud served a one-game suspension for receiving her seventh technical foul in the previous game.
Cloud’s absence meant increased playing time for guard Celeste Taylor, who moved into the starting lineup and played a career-high 33 minutes.
Taylor spent the night putting in some top-notch defensive play. This is his second stint of the season with the Mercury, the current one beginning with an appearance on Aug. 23.
“She’s a tough kid,” Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said of Taylor. “She’s competitive. She hasn’t been here very long, but she’s not afraid of anything. She’s guarding two of the best forwards in our league and making things tough for them. So I thought I could put her on the court right now because of her defense.”
Phoenix won both previous meetings this season against Washington.
–Field level media
2024-09-05 01:19:11