The Washington Mystics will look to extend their winning streak to three games by knocking off the host Chicago Sky for the second time in five days on Thursday.
The Mystics (7-4) defeated the visiting Sky 77-69 on Sunday for their fourth win in the past five games.
The Sky (5-7), who have lost both meetings against Washington this season, are on a four-game losing streak and have dropped six of their past eight contests. Chicago fell at home to Washington 71-69 on May 26.
In the teams’ last meeting, the Mystics never trailed.
Elena Delle Donne led the way with 20 points and six rebounds, while Brittney Sykes added 16 points and three steals for Washington. Shakira Austin finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
“We had three really good defensive quarters and probably two good offensive quarters,” Washington coach Eric Thibault said. “I’ll take the three good defensive quarters because we didn’t let them make a run to make it close because we kept getting stops. ”
For Chicago, rookie Morgan Bertsch, who had missed the past eight games because of an injured ankle, came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds.
Marina Mabrey was Chicago’s only other player who scored in double figures with 11 points. Elizabeth Williams had nine points, while Alanna Smith chipped in eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Mystics converted the Sky’s 21 turnovers into 26 points, while Chicago scored just nine off Washington’s seven miscues.
“We just weren’t good,” Chicago coach James Wade said.
The Sky’s four-game losing streak is their longest since a seven-game skid in 2021. However, the Sky recovered to win their lone WNBA title that season.
Washington is led by Delle Donne, who is the team’s leading scorer (18.4 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (6.2 rebounds per game). Austin averages a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game to go along with 12.0 points per game. Sykes and Ariel Atkins average 10.5 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
Chicago is led by Mabrey and Kahleah Copper, who average 17.5 and 16.4 points per game, respectively. Dana Evans and Smith each average 10.3 points per game, while Smith also averages a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
