The starting point guard was officially disqualified due to a knee injury, but the team was adamant that her suspension was a precaution.
The Washington Mystics had nothing to play for in the regular season finale, a 95-83 victory over the Indiana Fever. Ranked #5 has already been closed You will face storm number 4 In a top three series starting Thursday in Seattle. However, coach Mike Tybolt committed to playing his starts for important minutes on Sunday.
Washington ended the season with a second win in a row, both against the WNBA—worst fever.
“Psychologically, I think it’s good to feel good about being in the playoffs,” Thibault said. “Especially with the people who are out of the squad and Elena [Delle Donne] She’s trying to keep her rhythm a little bit now.
“I spoke to our team about playoff habits.”
Mystics (22-14) are optimistic about the cloud. Tybalt said it was very painful and the team will see how she responds in the next couple of days, but the Mystics weren’t planning on doing in court on Monday either way.
The most winning coach in WNBA history wanted to see some “intent” on the floor, and that was part of the reason why he led the juniors. He got what he wanted on the offensive end as the Mystics shot 48.3 percent and scored four starters in double digits. Dele Donne finished with 22 points, Ariel Atkins added 15 points, Shakira Austin 11 points, six rebounds, and Cloud scored 10 in 14 minutes. The ball moved sharply, enable numbers were high (21), and spins were low (11).
Washington beat Indiana 26-13 in the second quarter to dominate the game and not fall behind the rest of the way.
The Sufis’ defense had some problems. Fever (5-31) was 56.9 percent, including 61.5 percent of the three-point range. However, the Mystics forced 19 turns on 14 heists that reached the highest level of the season. Chaturi Walker Kimbru got five steals while Rui Machida got four steals to replace Cloud in the lineup. Machida also got six assists.
“We knew we wanted to play more often in these last few games and we wanted our defense to be a lot cleaner,” said Dele Donne. “Obviously, there have been a number of mishaps here and there, but to end it, keep your focus, and know what’s next it’s always important to see. So it’s a good win.”
Striker Alisha Clarke added: “To be able to get a rhythm and gain some confidence for our key players who are on the bench is huge because we will need them in the long run.“
Here’s what else you need to know about the Sufi victory:
The Mystics team is planning to do a movie on Monday and will use a Tuesday morning session as their base practice before flying to Seattle later in the day. The group will train on Wednesday, with the 10 p.m. match scheduled for Thursday.
Hines-Allen is getting better
Myisha Hines-Allen missed the last two games of the regular season while on health and safety protocols, but tested negative for coronavirus on Saturday. Tebow said she only had mild symptoms and needed another negative test to be allowed to return with the team. She is expected to be good at the start of qualifying, but her conditioning may be compromised. Mystics made players miss a match after exiting protocols as they regained their conditioning.
Atkins has surpassed 2,000 career points and is now the fourth fastest player to do so in franchise history. The Year 5 guard continues to improve every year and has made the All-Star Team for the second consecutive season. She became an Olympian in 2021 and won gold with Team USA.
“I didn’t really know where my place would be in this league. It’s a very difficult league to not just be a part of but to stay in,” Atkins said. “So being part of an organization like DC from the jump is a blessing.
“I’ve had the help of really great vets; they’ve been welcoming me from the start. I’ve said it over and over, I’ve been allowed to grow here. So anytime I reach any achievement, big or small, I’m just thankful that I was able to enter the league in Such a wonderful space.”