Two days after Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne returned to action for the first time since early July, she was sidelined again.
The two-time WNBA MVP missed Sunday’s 97-84 Mystics loss to the visiting Dallas Wings with a right hip injury. Previously, Delle Donne had been out with a left ankle injury. Mystics coach Eric Thibault said the hip issue came up a bit during her recovery period from the ankle sprain, but Delle Donne felt ready to come back.
However, the hip was jarred during Friday’s victory on the road over the Indiana Fever. Delle Donne played 11 minutes in that game, none in the second half.
“As you try to ramp people back up, it’s a little unpredictable always what’s going to happen,” Thibault said of Delle Donne’s return from the ankle injury, only to be sidelined by something else. “I don’t have a feel yet for a timetable. But [the hip] is the issue now. Her ankle feels good.”
Guard Ariel Atkins also returned Friday from an ankle injury after having been out since July 11. She played 14 minutes then, scoring six points, and 16…
