Game Info

When: Tuesday, September 7 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, WA

How to watch: CBS Sports Network, JoeTV

Injury Report

Mystics: Elena Delle Donne (Back, Out); Myisha Hines-Allen (Illness, Questionable); Alysha Clark (Foot, Out for season)

Storm: Jordin Canada (Knee, Questionable)

Pregame notes

The Washington Mystics have just 5 games left this season. They are coming off a loss to the Minnesota Lynx and will play the Storm in Seattle before heading back to DC for one game. They first time they matched up against the Storm on the road at the end June, which resulted in a 87-83 win for the Mystics. Tina Charles had herself a big game with with 34 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists. Leilani Mitchell followed with an impressive 19 points and 7 assists. Exactly two months later, the Storm beat the Mystics in DC 85-79, which was the same game Elena Delle Donne returned to the court for the first time since 2019. Breanna Stewart helped her team spoil Delle Donne’s return with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds.

This time around, the Mystics will be without Delle Donne and possibly Myisha Hines-Allen, who sat out last game with an illness. Tina Charles suited up for the first time on Saturday since August 22. Charles put up 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 25 minutes, which is the least amount of time she has seen the court all season. The Mystics will rely on Charles, Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud to really lead them through the rest of the season.

The Mystics should have their focus on Breanna Stewart, who is coming off a 33-point game against the Liberty. They’ve got to slow her down and help each other defensively when she gets in the paint. They cannot let Stewart have a 30-plus point game if they want to come out on top. The Storm are averaging more points and rebounds per game than the Mystics so if Washington wants to stay in the game they’ll have to focus on slowing down their opponent’s pace and crashing the boards.