The Washington Mystics kick off the regular season against the New York Liberty, the team that eliminated them out of the playoffs last season.
The Washington Mystics play the New York Liberty on Tuesday night. Here is the preview.
Game Info
When: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Entertainment and Sports Arena, Washington
TV: Monumental Sports Network – Streaming, ESPN3
Injury report: Mystics – Jade Melbourne (Day-to-Day, Travel); Shakira Austin (Day-to-Day, Hip). Liberty – Nyara Sabally (Day-to-Day), Leonie Fiebich (Day-to-Day), Kennedy Burke (Day-to-Day)
What to watch for
The new season is here and the Mystics get to start their season with the team they faced at the end of last season, the New York Liberty, after they were eliminated out of the first round.
For the Mystics, there is a lot that has changed since that playoff series including no longer having the services of Elena Delle Donne and Natasha Cloud, while adding 1st round draft pick Aaliyah Edwards. With that, there is a lot to figure out with this season. It’s important for this team to establish an identity going forward, especially on offense, as they look for a new face to step in to the void left from EDD’s and Cloud’s departure.
This first game should give us an idea of who this team will depend on the most this season. Expect to see Shakira Austin, Brittany Sykes and Ariel Atkins play a prominent role for this game and going forward, but who else will step up?
For the Liberty, it was a disappointing ending to their season as they lost in the WNBA Finals to the Las Vegas Aces. The expectations have not waned. With the same core of Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, the Liberty are expected to continue to contend. This game should serve as an opportunity to put the league on notice, that they still are a force to be reckoned with this season.
On paper the Liberty are heavy favorites, but let’s see what the Mystics have in store for the Liberty at home in front of their usual enthusiastic crowd at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.