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Preview: Mystics host Storm as both look to secure high playoff seeds

Two of the WNBA’s top teams play at lunchtime on Thursday. Breanna Stewart will no doubt further her campaign for MVP honors.

By Albert Lee

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jewell loyd seattle storm
Storm guard Jewell Loyd is keeping the Storm steady as they head toward the end of the regular season.
Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

The Mystics host the Storm on Thursday morning. Here’s a preview for what’s at stake.

Washington Mystics (18-11) vs. Seattle Storm (23-7)

When: Thursday, August 8 at 11:30 a.m. EST

Where: Capital One Arena | TICKETS

How to watch: NBA TV (national TV) | Monumental Sports Network (DC area streaming) | WNBA League Pass (worldwide streaming)

Injury report: No injuries to report

Storylines to follow

The matchups that fans should enjoy seeing during today’s lunchtime brawl include:

  • Elena Delle Donne vs. Breanna Stewart — tall forwards with the ability to score from anywhere
  • Kristi Toliver vs. Jewell Loyd — speedy guards who can create plays and score from deep

But LaToya Sanders (Mystics) and Natasha Howard (Storm) provide another great matchup in the low post. Both are having career seasons in relatively unheralded roles where other stars take up more of the attention. The post who has the stronger performance later this morning is more likely than not to see her team with the win.

Breanna Stewart, meanwhile, will seek to strengthen her campaign for MVP.

Playoff picture

The Mystics and the Storm are two of the top teams in the WNBA standings. Washington heads into this game on a four-game win streak including the win they picked up from the Aces’ forfeit of a game last Friday due to travel delays. The Storm, on the other hand, have won five games in a row of their own, now three games into a four-game road trip.

There is nothing at stake tiebreaker-wise. The Storm won the tiebreaker before the All-Star break after winning two games at home. And both teams already are postseason-bound. And Seattle is probably winning the first or second seed for this year’s playoffs.

The Mystics hope to at least be in the top four given that they are currently in third place. But Washington is also effectively two games behind Atlanta for the second seed in the WNBA. Though the Mystics are mathematically one game behind Atlanta, they lost the tiebreaker to the Dream earlier this season.

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