The Mystics announced on Tuesday that their home WNBA playoff games — if they have any — will be held at the Smith Center at George Washington University in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The Smith Center holds 5,000 people.
With this announcement, the Mystics’ last game at Capital One Arena this season — and as their primary home arena — will be on Friday, August 17 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Capital One Arena is undergoing a renovation this summer. The next phase will force the arena’s closure in late August and September. It will be open by the time the NBA and NHL preseasons begin.
The Mystics are currently fourth place in the WNBA with a 17-11 record. They have won three games in a row, including last Friday’s cancelled game against the Aces. Washington has not clinched a playoff spot yet, but they should finish at least in the Top 6 barring a late season slump.
Though the Mystics only have three games left at Capital One Arena this season and will play in the new arena at St. Elizabeth’s next summer, they aren’t truly leaving Chinatown. The Mystics hold two matinee games targeted toward summer camps each summer and will still probably be there for those games because of the ticket revenue they provide.