The Washington Mystics return to the floor Thursday after the benefit of a first-round bye in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs. Thursday’s second-round game will determine whether the third-seeded Mystics advance to the league semifinals — or pack it up disappointingly early after a regular season in which they tied their franchise-best record of 22-12.
Here’s all you need to know before tip-off:
Opponent: No. 6 Los Angeles Sparks (Mystics won regular season series 2-1)
Where: Charles E. Smith Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
When: Thursday, Aug. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Television: ESPN2
What to watch for: The Mystics don’t sweat it when they get to the free-throw line. Their team mark of .858 from the stripe in the regular season set a new league record … The Sparks’ star player is Candace Parker, who finished the regular season with 14 straight games scoring in double digits. But she only scored two points in 30 minutes in Tuesday’s playoff game against Minnesota, and the Mystics held her to six points and 13 points in their last two meetings with L.A.
Pre-game reading:
Rested Mystics host Sparks with return to WNBA semifinals on the line, by Adam Zielonka
Thibault thinks Mystics felt ’a little bit slighted’ in Aces forfeit aftermath, by Adam Zielonka
Mystics down Wings, but ’there are bigger things going on’ to Kristi Toliver, by Matthew Paras
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