Two weeks after a rock fight, the Washington Mystics and visiting Seattle Storm will face off again on Saturday.
Both offenses have bounced back from that July 13 affair, though Seattle needed a couple of games to break out of the slump.
In the two games since their first matchup, which ended in a 74-69 Mystics comeback win, Washington scored 80 or more points in consecutive matchups against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Storm scored 67 and 63 against the Golden State Valkyries and Dallas Wings, respectively, in the pair of games following the July 13 contest, then broke out against the Chicago Sky on Thursday.
Seattle dominated Chicago wire-to-wire in a 95-57 road win. Skylar Diggins, the engine of the Storm’s offense, snapped out of a rut following a day off.
The guard had totaled 20 points and shot a combined 6-for-24 from the field and 0-for-5 from three over Seattle’s losses to the Mystics and Valkyries, then missed Tuesday’s loss to Dallas for personal reasons.
She finished with a game-high 21 points on 50 percent from the field and 3-point range against Chicago.
“Just having some fun,” Diggins said Thursday. “Obviously, I wasn’t here the last game but just having a lot of fun with my teammates and us taking care of business tonight.”
Despite Washington’s solid offensive showings in its past two games — each above its season average of 78.8 points per game (11th in the league) — its defense was porous.
Los Angeles claimed both games behind standout performances from forwards Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson. The Sparks dominated down low in both games, outscoring Washington a combined 96-70 in the paint.
“We’re an above-average defensive team, but the Sparks have some weapons,” Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said. “I think, to their credit, if there are some breakdowns, they’re able to exploit it.”
The losses also coincided with poor shooting nights from All-Star rookie guard Sonia Citron. She finished with single-digit points in consecutive games for the first time this season and shot sub-35 percent from the field on both nights.
Washington ultimately put itself in a hole against Los Angeles in the second quarter of both games. The Sparks outscored them 57-21 in the second frame over the two games.
Like in the first matchup between the Mystics and Storm, controlling the paint will be key. Washington won the rebounding and points in the paint battles, parlaying that into a comeback victory.
–Field Level Media
