The Phoenix Mercury host the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night. Here is a preview for what’s in store:
Phoenix Mercury (2-2) vs. Washington Mystics (4-1)
When: Wednesday May 30 at 10 p.m. EST
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena | TICKETS
How to watch: WNBA League Pass (worldwide streaming) | Monumental Sports Network (D.C. area streaming)
Injuries: For the Mystics, Elena Delle Donne (stomach bug), Natasha Cloud (illness), LaToya Sanders are questionable. Tayler Hill is out due to knee rehab.
Storylines to follow
How will the Mystics bounce back after their first loss? The Mystics lost to the Seattle Storm, 81-77 last night. It is easy to point at Elena Delle Donne’s and Natasha Cloud’s absences as a contributing factor, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Mystics were down 29-20 after the first quarter of Tuesday’s game. This continues a trend of slow starts by the starting lineup all season long. If Washington has another slow start against the Mercury, then the Mystics must make a major change to their starting lineup sooner rather than later.
How will Sancho Lyttle follow up on her 20-point performance against the Sparks? Lyttle made her debut against the Sparks last Sunday where she scored 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting, even though she played just 18 minutes.
The Mercury ultimately lost 80-72 to the Sparks despite’s Lyttle’s performance. But if Lyttle can put up a similar showing early against the Mystics tonight, then Phoenix will be in good position to win the game given Washington’s troubling trend of slow starts.