Phoenix Mercury vs. Washington Mystics
June 14, 2022 4:00 pm EDT
The Washington Mystics and Phoenix Mercury face off on Tuesday in a WNBA showdown at the Entertainment & Sports Center. These two teams faced off on Sunday, with the Mystics securing the 99-90 victory in overtime.
The Phoenix Mercury sits with a 5-8 record overall, but they have had some big wins as of late, winning three games in a row. The offense has been strong heading into this game, scoring at least 80 points in each of the last three games. The Mercury are averaging 82.2 points, while their defense is giving up 86.5 points per game. The offense is ranked 5th best in the league, while their defense is ranked 10th. Skylar Diggins-Smith has been the top player for Phoenix, averaging 19.2 points while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from behind the three-point line. The team still is without Brittney Griner and that has really hurt their success.
On the other side of this matchup is the Washington Mystics, who sit with a 9-6 record overall, and they had won two games in a row before losing on Sunday. Two games ago against the Minnesota Lynx, the defense gave up only 59 points, and they need to get back to that defense here. The Mystics are averaging 80.1 points, while their defense is giving up 75.9 points per game. The offense is ranked 7th in the league, while their defense is ranked second. The top player for the Mystics has been Elena Delle Donne, and she is averaging 15.8 points while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
The first game was higher scoring, but the Mystics are a defense-first team, and I expect they are going to really focus on that in this game. The Mystics are giving up 75.9 points per game, and they will slow down the pace in this game. I’m not sure if it’s going to be enough to get the job done, but the under is going to cash.
