Storm vs Mystics Odds: Washington Look to Sweep Seattle Amidst Injuries

Mystics Favored to Go 3-0 Versus Struggling Storm

July 11, 2023 104 3 minutes readNBA Picks & Parlays

Storm vs Mystics Odds: Washington Look To Sweep Seattle Amidst Injuries — Photo taken from ats.io

Mystics Have Been Solid Bets at Home
The Storm Have Become the “Loveable Losers”
Can Mystics Still Roll Without Delle Donne?

Mystics Have Been Solid Bets at Home

Even without their star player, Elena Delle Donne, the Washington Mystics could sweep the regular season series against the Seattle Storm. The Storm vs Mystic odds favor the latter, who have won five of its last six home games and have covered four of its previous five. Without Delle Donne, Washington’s spread is still at six points, though and most of the action backs it.

Seattle Storm (4-14) vs Washington Mystics (10-8)

Date, time: Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Entertainment and Sports Arena, Washington

The Storm Have Become the “Loveable Losers”

Washington is one of many teams shorthanded. Seattle will potentially be without five-time All-Star Jewell Loyd, who also hurt her ankle in the last game. Loyd is listed as “probable,” while forward Gabby Williams could also make her season debut. Their potential availability has folks banking on Seattle as underdogs per the Storm vs Mystic odds.

Seattle may just have four wins, but the team is almost profitable on the spread: 9-9. The Storm also covered in their first meeting against Washington as 12.5-point underdog. In the next game, Washington won and covered. Both totals went under as Washington’s defense limited Seattle to an average of 65.5 points.

Loyd played just one of the games against Washington. She was held to just 6-of-22 shooting though she still put up 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists. If her ankle injury hampers her, she could be in a for another rough night.

Even without Delle Donne, Washington still poses a defensive threat to Seattle. The underdogs score the fewest points in the paint (29.6 per game). But on the flip side, Seattle may also frustrate Washington without its best offensive player.

If anything, the best bet on the Storm vs Mystic odds may be for this matchup to go under the total again. It’s set at 158 points, and an ugly shooting night on both sides could be expected.

Can Mystics Still Roll Without Delle Donne?

Losing a former MVP and seven-time All-Star is a big blow to any team. Delle Donne was averaging 18.2 points, six boards, and shooting 49.3% from the field before re-injuring her ankle. She’s also leading the team in offensive rating (112), offensive win shares (1.5), and usage percent (26.4).

“I haven’t seen the replay yet. Same ankle, so we’ll see when we get home,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said. “[She was] frustrated more than anything.”

With Delle Donne, the Mystics will find it harder to generate offense. The team averages 80.7 points per game, which ranks them seventh. But the Mystics also have the second-fewest field goals made, the third-fewest offensive boards, and the fourth-fewest assists.

Fortunately, guard Natasha Cloud is likely to play. She leads the team in assists (6.1 per game) and will need to continue facilitating to keep the offense going. Otherwise, Washington must continue clamping down on Loyd and Ezi Magbegor. While Loyd struggled, Magbegor averaged 18.5 points and six boards on 57.1% shooting in the two games.

Washington will need to hold Seattle to under 80 points, which shouldn’t be an issue considering Seattle averages just 78.8. The Mystics are one of the best defensive WNBA teams, but their lack of scoring means they have a hard time winning shootouts. The team is 8-0 when holding teams to under 80 but just 2-8 when it doesn’t.

Indeed, the Mystics remain a WNBA championship-caliber team. Seattle is in the running for the first-overall pick this season. This should be a win for Washington, even without Delle Donne. But it may just have to work hard for it.