When the Washington Mystics walked off the floor at the Charles E. Smith Center on Thursday, they left behind a nerve-wracking test in the WNBA Playoffs: a single-elimination game, do-or-die.
But their 96-64 drubbing of the Los Angeles Sparks that evening meant the third-seeded Mystics were safe from the danger of a premature end to their postseason. They advanced to the best-of-five league semifinals; three more wins, and Washington will advance to its first WNBA Finals in its 21-year history.
Here’s what you need to know before Game 1 tips off:
Opponent: No. 2 Atlanta Dream (Dream won regular season series vs. Mystics, 2-1)
Where: McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech, Atlanta
When: Sunday, Aug. 26, 3:00 p.m.
Television: ESPN2
What to watch for: The Mystics set postseason franchise records against Los Angeles in six categories, everything from points scored (96) to free throw percentage (1.000) to assists (28). Combining that win and the regular season, the Mystics have won nine of their last 10 games … The Dream had All-Star guard Angel McCoughtry in the lineup for their three regular-season meetings with the Mystics, but McCoughtry suffered a season-ending knee injury in August … This is Atlanta’s first game of the playoffs. By beating Washington by one game for the No. 2 seed, the Dream won a double-bye and a week’s worth of rest.
Pre-game reading:
Mystics dominate Sparks to punch ticket to WNBA semis, by Adam Zielonka
From regular season: Mystics down Wings, but ’there are bigger things going on’ to Kristi Toliver, by Matthew Paras
Thibault thinks Mystics felt ’a little bit slighted’ in Aces forfeit aftermath, by Adam Zielonka
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