The third matchup of the 2023 WNBA season between the Washington Mystics (12-11) and the Dallas Wings (13-10) highlights a three-game slate this Friday, July 28. All of Friday’s games will tip-off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ION, as well as streamed live on WNBA League Pass.
The Wings are one of the WNBA’s hotter teams, having won seven of their last 10 games to rise to fourth place in the league standings, while the Mystics have struggled to stay healthy through an up-and-down July schedule. Washington is without its starting frontcourt, with center Shakira Austin (hip) and forward Elena Delle Donne (ankle) both in the midst of lengthy absences. Five-time All-Defense honoree Ariel Atkins (ankle) hasn’t suited up for the Mystics since the All-Star break, either, and it’s had a disastrous effect on Washington’s depth.
The absences of Austin and Delle Donne, in particular, were felt the last time the Mystics played the Wings. An 89-72 Dallas victory, the Wings more than doubled-up the Mystics on the boards, outrebounding them 54-24 while also outscoring them in the paint 42-26.
Needless to say, doing a better job on the boards against the WNBA’s best rebounding team — Dallas leads the WNBA in both offensive rebounding rate (35.8 percent) and
