The tenth-place Washington Mystics are facing off against the eighth-place Chicago Sky tomorrow night.
The Mystics currently have a record of 8-22. They won their last game against the Seattle Storm. Brittney Sykes was the lead scorer in the game with 20 points and six rebounds. Emily Engstler followed with 12 points and nine rebounds. Lastly, Julie Vanloo and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough both had 11 points.
Chicago lost their last game against the Las Vegas Aces and have a record of 11-18. Chennedy Carter had a fantastic game with 25 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Lindsey Allen had 16 points and five assists. Michaela Onyenware rounded out the lead scorers with 15 points.
Can the Sky hold on to their eighth-place standing, or will the Mystics cause an upset?
Game Details
Fixture: Washington Mystics @ Chicago Sky
Date and Time: August 27th, 2024 @ 8:00 pm EST
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL
Where to Watch: MARQ - MNMT - Fubo - WNBA League Pass
Washington Mystics Team Review
Ariel Atkins is the lead scorer for the Mystics, averaging 15.3 points per game. Atkins is also leading in steals with 1.5 per game. Aaliyah Edwards is leading in rebounds, 5.7 per game, and blocks, 0.8 per game. Lastly, Julie Vanloo is leading in assists with 4.9 per game.
A major issue with this team is their ability to score. The numbers are low, with Brittney Sykes being the second-highest scorer with 14.0 per game and Shakira Austin the third with 12.6 per game. A lot of other WNBA teams have at least one player averaging 18.0+ points per game, making it easy for teams to dominate the Mystics. However, Edwards is still a rookie. If given some time, she could bring a big boost to the team next year as she did for the UConn Huskies.
Chicago Sky Team Review
Chennedy Carter is leading the scoring for the Sky with 17.2 points per game. Angel Reese is leading in rebounds with 12.9 per game and steals with 1.3 per game. Kamilla Cardoso is leading in blocks with 1.2 per game. Lastly, Lindsey Allen is leading in assists with 3.6 after Marina Mabrey was traded to the Connecticut Sun.
The Sky are in a dangerous position right now. Due to some tough losses, they are in a race with the Atlanta Dream for eighth place. If they lose tomorrow night, they'll be tied with the Dream. Eighth place is critical as it is the last playoff spot. Carter has been on fire in recent games, with her last three consisting of 25 points, 19 points, and 16 points. Just last month, she had a 34-point night. The issue is the team isn't having big nights as a collective.
Who to Watch
Washington Mystics
Brittney Sykes will be one to watch in this game. She's been the lead scorer in the past few days with 28 points and 20 points. In both of these games the Mystics managed to pull out the win. Sykes has also been solid on the boards with 4.8 rebounds per game and great with the assists with 4.3 per game. If she can have another big night, Washington could end up taking out the Sky.
Chicago Sky
All eyes will be on Chennedy Carter to see if she can have another big night for her team. She's been doing very well this second half of the season. Both she and Camilla Cardoso were solid players last week. Her jumper has been smooth, and she's hit some huge momentum-changing three-pointers recently despite her low percentage. Carter will be a major factor if Chicago can reach the playoffs and avoid this bump in the road (the Dream).