Sports
Washington Mystics rout WNBA-best Las Vegas Aces for signature win – The Washington Post
Elena Delle Donne began Saturday night’s game against the WNBA-best Las Vegas Aces with an easy fadeaway basket and a fist pump so subtle it hardly registered as a celebration. Thirty seconds later, she had four points; a few minutes on, she had six — and her Washington Mystics had a double-digit lead soon after.
About 35 minutes of game time later — after Washington had blown its advantage with her on the bench but avoided the Las Vegas supernova that so often has surfaced this season — there was Delle Donne again, connecting on a three-pointer to put the Mystics up by 14.
This time, she got to flex, putting up three fingers on her right hand and shaking her head at teammate Natasha Cloud. It was a moment of catharsis: Washington finally had a (mostly) healthy roster and turned in a full-throttle performance against the WNBA’s elite during a 78-62 win over the Aces at Entertainment and Sports Arena.
Washington snapped a two-game skid at home and posted arguably its best victory since its season opener against the New York Liberty.
“It felt so good to be out there when the game is taken from you for a few weeks,” said Delle Donne, who has battled a hip injury in recent days. “I have my teammates to help me get through it. … You could just see it. We were playing with joy. That’s what it can look like.”
Saturday’s game was just the second time since the all-star break that Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and Ariel Atkins shared the court. Their health appears inextricably linked to any realistic chance at a postseason run for Washington (16-18), but they got their shot against the Aces (30-5), the odds-on favorite when the postseason opens next month.
“The biggest thing is our chemistry, trying to get back in the groove, figure out where each other are supposed to be on the court,” Atkins said.
The previous time the Mystics played the Aces, Washington allowed a season-high 113 points in a 24-point loss. Before this matchup, the Mystics’ game plan was twofold: Control Las Vegas’s top-rated offense in transition and push the pace against the Aces’ top-rated defense.
As a 13-2 run opened the game, it appeared Washington had followed through, all while slowing reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. But the Aces put pressure back on the Mystics as Delle Donne watched from the bench. The Mystics outscored Las Vegas by 12 with Delle Donne on the court in the first half (and by 16 in the second) but trailed 30-27 at halftime. Washington shot 0 for 13 from the three-point line in the first half.
“It’s a big difference,” Atkins said of Delle Donne’s impact. “Just simply the presence that she brings on the court and the attention that she commands, that obviously makes my life easier.”
For the game, Las Vegas shot 20 for 65 (30.8 percent) from the field and 6 for 29 from three-point range, which let the Mystics hang close in the third quarter and paved the way for each Washington highlight — a three-pointer by Cloud to tie it at 41, a three by Atkins to knot it at 46, a steal by Tianna Hawkins and another outside shot from Atkins for a 49-46 lead late in the third quarter — to ignite the home crowd. Washington led 52-48 entering the final quarter.
The Mystics kept adding on, and a layup by Cloud with under two minutes left put Washington up 11 and all but sealed the win.
The Mystics shot 40 percent from the field as Delle Donne (21 points, seven rebounds in 22 minutes) and Atkins (16 points) drove the effort. Las Vegas got its top contributions from Plum (21 points) and Wilson (14 points, 11 rebounds).
“Seeing what we can do when we’re all locked into the game plan, we’re all trusting each other is massive,” Delle Donne said. “We have to continue to do it every single game because, when the playoffs come, if you don’t do it, you’re out.”
With six games remaining, the Mystics pulled even with the Atlanta Dream (16-18) for the No. 6 playoff seed and sit three games ahead of the No. 9 Chicago Sky (13-21), the first team out of the postseason picture.
On Tuesday, the Mystics host the fifth-place Minnesota Lynx (17-18) with a chance to make up some ground. Washington dropped its first two meetings with Minnesota by a combined seven points.
“It’s a reminder [of our potential] … but our work is not done by any stretch,” Coach Eric Thibault said of Saturday’s victory. “We haven’t won anything yet.”
