Mystics found the magic potion of winning against the Sparks 78-68

The Washington Mystics bounced back in a major way by steamrolling the Los Angeles Sparks, 78-68, at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington D.C. Tuesday evening. The game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

From the tip-off, the Mystics were ready to play. Washington got up to a 14-0 start before L.A. would score their first bucket at the 6:45 minute mark. The Mystics defense suffocated the Sparks early, and L.A. would only score 11 points to Washington’s 28 in the first quarter.

The Mystics continued the onslaught into the second quarter, dominating the Sparks and scoring at will. The Sparks shot ​​26.7% from the field while the Mystics shot 52.9% in the second quarter. Washington took a 56-23 lead into halftime.

The Sparks showed some fight in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mystics 24-7, but it wasn’t enough. The attention to detail on the offensive end and their tenacity on the defensive end was the perfect storm for the Washington Mystics. The biggest lead in the game at one point was 37, that’s how good of a night the Mystics had. And it was needed. This is a team with championship aspirations.

Elena Delle Donne finished the game with 18 points and Myisha Hines-Allen with 19. Ariel Atkins pitched in 10 points, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough gave the Mystics 10 points off the bench. Tina Charles was out with a left gluteal strain.

Lost in the glory of the Mystics’ big win was the news regarding forward Emma Messeman. All season the Mystics were holding out hope of the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP coming back to close out the WNBA season. But that won’t be the case, as she announced today via statement she would not be returning to the Mystics in 2021.