Recaps: Mystics and Aces score big wins on Wednesday

Let’s check out Wednesday’s WNBA recaps here!

Mystics beat Fever 76-62 with defensive clinic

The Mystics (21-11) were in danger of losing Wednesday’s game against the Fever after giving up an early double-digit lead courtesy of hot shooting by Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver and Monique Currie. In the third quarter, Indiana outscored Washington 19-10 and entered the fourth with a slim two-point lead.

However, the Mystics clamped down defensively and held the Fever to just TWO fourth-quarter points, which came from an Erica Wheeler shot. Sure, part of this came from luck, but Washington’s shot was falling in the second half like it did in the first. Many teams may have regressed defensively while trying “shoot their way out of slumps.” Instead, Washington doubled down on defense and ended up with their seventh consecutive win.

With the win, Washington still has a slim chance of finishing with a Top-2 seed if they win their remaining games and if the Dream lose both of theirs. In addition, the Mystics will also have their best regular season in franchise history if they win their remaining games. Not bad!

Aces keep playoff hopes alive with 85-72 win over the Liberty

The Las Vegas Aces continued to take advantage of the Dallas Wings’ woes by beating the New York Liberty at home, pulling them into a tie with the Wings.

The first quarter of the game was all Las Vegas as they raced to a 31-10 start. New York was held to just 26.7 percent shooting in the quarter and looked out of sync without Tina Charles, who did not play. Charles’ absence also made things easier for A’ja Wilson, sho scored 12 of Vegas’ points in the first quarter. Wilson led all scorers with 19 points.

After the first quarter, the Liberty were able to chip into the lead, but they were never seriously in position to do much in the game. Bria Hartley and Kia Nurse led New York’s scorers with 14 points each.

Playoff Standings Update

Nothing changed at the top and the middle of the playoff pack. But the Aces have kept their playoff hopes alive with the big win. Their next game is effectively the Aces’ “play in” game as they play the Wings on the road this Friday.

The Wings just have to win one of their two remaining games to get in the postseason for the second straight year. They also earned the tiebreaker against Las Vegas back in June, so the pressure is really on Las Vegas more than it is on Dallas.

That said, Dallas has lost nine in a row. So don’t be surprised to see Vegas keep things interesting until the end of the regular season this Sunday.