Mystics vs. Sun final score: Washington loses 86-76 to Connecticut

The Washington Mystics lost to the Connecticut Sun 86-76 on Tuesday. Jonquel Jones led the Sun with 14 points and 22 rebounds while Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with 26 points and Jasmine Thomas added 20 more. For the Mystics, Elena Delle Donne led the way with 24 points and 16 rebounds while Krystal Thomas grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 7 more points.

The defining moment of the game was when Meesseman got ANOTHER arm to the face in the first four minutes of the game. After she returned, the referees showed her even less respect with three fouls in the first half. But that probably didn’t matter much since Meesseman scored four points on 2 of 10 shooting from the field.

The Mystics managed to keep things close while she was out, but they never seemed to rally like the Sun seemed to after that moment. With the exception of Delle Donne’s strong performance, Thomas’ consistency and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s spark off the bench, there wasn’t much to write home about.

So here are the main takeaways from the game.

The Mystics are in bad shape

Washington has generally fared well against the worst teams in the WNBA like the Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, and San Antonio Stars who should be lottery bound. But they lost games to other playoff bound teams who they would face in the first or second rounds like the Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, Dallas Wings, and now the Sun — ALL WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS.

It may be nice to see that the Mystics made the playoffs this season, But when this squad won the free agency race by getting Elena Delle Donne in a sign and trade deal and Kristi Toliver to shore up the backcourt, the playoffs are a bare minimum expectation. Though we don’t expect Washington to get to the Finals this season, it’s reasonable to expect the Mystics to get into a semifinals series.

However, the Mystics have lost many games to teams who they can expect to play against to start their postseason run. Hate to say it, but they don’t look like they will win against any other playoff team in a winner-take-all series. It’s almost like the Mystics celebrated getting to the playoffs and forgot that seedings matter too.

SWK needs more time

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough saw limited time with Delle Donne returning, but she scored 14 points off the bench tonight and was a bright spot for D.C. Regardless of what happens for the rest of the season and playoffs, Washington needs to see her more on the court. Washington isn’t getting enough backcourt scoring production with Kristi Toliver being hit or miss lately while TRP isn’t someone you rely on to make shots. In short, we want to see more from the rookie, regardless.