The Washington Mystics got to see Sunday what they look like when they play at their best.
For two quarters, anyway.
Now the trick is to carry that over into a full game, beginning with their Tuesday trip to Indianapolis to meet the Indiana Fever.
Washington (5-3) is coming off a weekend sweep of the Seattle Storm, including Sunday’s 71-65 win in which it took a 46-21 halftime lead and then expanded it to 28 points before a near collapse. They Mystics were outscored 23-8 in the fourth quarter but hung on to get the win.
Washington got a season-high 19 points, plus five assists, from point guard Natasha Cloud. Ariel Atkins added 12 points and Shakira Austin posted 11, plus nine rebounds. The Mystics played without leading scorer Elena Delle Donne (neck tightness), who missed her first game of the season.
Meanwhile, Indiana (2-6) missed on a chance to score consecutive wins Sunday when it dropped an 85-82 decision at home to Phoenix. The Fever took a 67-59 lead to the fourth quarter but were outscored by 11 points.
Wasted in the loss was a monster effort by second-year forward NaLyssa Smith, who pumped in 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Erica Wheeler added 17 points and eight assists.
Rookie center Aliyah Boston struggled against the Mercury’s Brittney Griner, scoring only four points and landing in foul trouble. But Boston is still contributing 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell (16.8) and Smith (15.0) are the team’s other double-figure scorers. Smith also averages 10.8 rebounds per game.
The Fever lost all four matchups with Washington last year by at least 12 points, allowing 87.0 points per game.
