Mystics at Lynx preview: Washington starts preseason in Iowa

The Washington Mystics play the Minnesota Lynx in their first preseason game. Here’s a preview:

Game info

When and where - Sunday, May 6 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Tip off is at 3:30 p.m. EST.

TV/Streaming - None

Injuries - For the Mystics, Tayler Hill is still out due to an ACL tear she suffered in July 2017.

Players who are overseas - For Washington, Krystal Thomas, Kristi Toliver, LaToya Sanders, and Asia Taylor were overseas at the start of training camp and I don’t expect any to play on Sunday.

For Minnesota, Maya Moore, Temi Fagbenle, Endy Miyem, and Cecilia Zandalasini were overseas at the start of training camp last week.

What to know about Sunday’s game

This is a quasi-home game for the Lynx - Minnesota is hosting this game in Iowa in part because the Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, are based here. In addition, the game also introduces the WNBA to more markets who may be part of the expansion conversation at some point.

Don’t draw any conclusions on the result - The Lynx will definitely play their starters for a bit when possible. The Mystics will too. But this game is more about the bench players and those who are fighting for roster spots on opening day.

Has anyone on the training camp roster been released even before the preseason game? The Lynx waived G’mrice Davis last Friday. The Mystics have not waived anyone yet.

The Lynx are in the spotlight for their lack of an invite to the White House - The President of the United States annually invited the WNBA champions to the White House since the league was founded in 2017. However, the Lynx, who won the 2017 WNBA championship, did not get an invite from President Donald Trump yet. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve noted this on Twitter last week:

I understand that politics is very polarized. But inviting the WNBA champions (and the Division I NCAA women’s basketball champions) has transcended party lines. I’m not sure why President Trump or the White House doesn’t want to invite them. On the one hand, there’s no obligation for the President to invite anyone. And on the other, he may be trying to “save face” because it is possible that the Lynx may reject his invite. This is something the Golden State Warriors openly said in the summer of 2017 after winning the NBA title.

But in a country that’s known for being the land of opportunity and where women are encouraged to pursue their dreams, it doesn’t sit right with me. Isn’t the President of the United States supposed to be above whether the Average Joe or a sports team likes him or not?

Those were some of the points that Swish Appeal’s Tamryn Spruill wrote in a column last Thursday. The President’s actions or non-actions regarding the Lynx may be part of a larger and disturbing pattern he has toward women. The link to her column is below:

Let us know what you think about the Lynx’s situation in the comments below. And go Mystics!