It wasn’t a big day for Mystics fans at the All-Star Game. We will take the win however!
The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago featured some one-time rule changes and a lopsided result. Team Wilson had a commanding 134-112 win over Team Stewart.
Team Wilson had a commanding 59-39 lead in the first half, with Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum scoring 17 of her 30 points. Connecticut Sun Jonquel Jones led Team Stewart with 14 of her 29 points. From there, Team Wilson never looked back.
I wish I could say that Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins had a triple double and the All-Star MVP award. Unfortunately for us, Atkins had a very quiet game, scoring only four points in 17 minutes. Even if we wanted to go the “root for the Mystics alumnae” route, Emma Meesseman and Kahleah Copper scored 8 points each for Team Stewart.
Call me a contrarian, but I felt indifferent about the game. I didn’t care much for the gimmicky new rules, largely because Atkins, and to a lesser extent Meesseman and Copper didn’t have big games.
That said, it is a big one for the WNBA as a whole, because Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird and Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles are retiring after this season. When the history books look back on today, it is the latter they will emphasize this and the absence of Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, who is detained in Russia.
Now that the All-Star Game is done, it’s time for Atkins and the Mystics to make a push for home court advantage in the playoffs. Their next game is on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Sparks.