Mystics to meet Angel Reese and the Dream in playoffs
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The Mystics finished the regular season Thursday night with their 28th win — the most in franchise history.
Why it matters: After three straight losing seasons, the Mystics enter the playoffs as one of the WNBA's hottest teams, with an elite defense and a young squad that's building confidence.
Now what: Washington earned the fifth seed and will face the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream.
Here's the schedule:
- Game 1: Sunday, 7pm
- Game 2: Wednesday, 7pm
- Game 3 (if necessary): TBD
If you're just now tuning in, here's your crash course on these Mystics.
👶 They're the youngest team in the league: The Mystics' average age is 24, and they've given themselves the nickname "Young Hos." (They coined it; I'm just typing it.)
- The stars are guard Sonia Citron, 22, and forward Kiki Iriafen, 23.
- Shakira Austin, who played locally at Riverdale Baptist and for two seasons at Maryland, had a career year at 26. She has the second-best odds to win the league's Most Improved Player award.
They said it: "We never really thought about the whole 'We're the youngest team in the league' [thing]," rookie Cotie McMahon said this week. "We never used that as an excuse."
By the numbers: That franchise wins record comes with a small asterisk. The WNBA schedule expanded to 44 games last year, and Washington had teams with better winning percentages in 2018 and 2019 — when it lost in the Finals, then won their lone championship.
🛡️ Defense got them here. Washington ranks second in the league in defensive rating.
- Citron locks down playmakers on the perimeter, Austin protects the paint, and Iriafen helps end possessions with her rebounding.
Coach Sydney Johnson has been at the center of the turnaround. His second season strolling the sideline has been … eventful.
- During a loss at Atlanta in June, he lost his top with the refs, got ejected and was escorted off the court by police.
🕺 But no, really, he's a fun guy. These Mystics like to dance, and Johnson leans into it — with whatever this move is called and the Scuba Dance.
The scoop on the Dream: Atlanta added Angel Reese in the offseason, and she has peaked as the team won nine of its last 10.
- Reese's game is catching up to her fame. She's the league's best rebounder and an elite defender. Her offense has long been unpolished, but she is now putting it together on that end, too.
- The Mystics could have drafted Reese in 2024 but instead chose Aaliyah Edwards with the No. 6 pick. They traded Edwards last year.
- It's not just Reese: Allisha Gray (19 points per game) and Rhyne Howard (17.7 ppg) were also Atlanta all-stars this year.
So, can they win? Sportsbook odds have the Mystics as clear underdogs to advance.
- The Dream blew out the Mystics in Atlanta in June, but Washington won a pair of close contests at home in July and August.
If they do: The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx or eighth-seeded New York Liberty await.
🔮 And this could be just the start. The Mystics own the Chicago Sky's first-round draft pick next year — thanks to a 2025 trade that looks increasingly lopsided in Washington's favor.
- That gives the Mystics (via the Sky) the third-best lottery odds — and a shot at USC star JuJu Watkins.
But first: The future can wait. Playoff basketball arrives Sunday.