LAS VEGAS (August 29, 2023)—The 2023 WNBA regular season is heading into the home stretch, and that is literally the case for the Las Vegas Aces (30-6) as 3 of their remaining 4 contests are at home, beginning with a Thursday, Aug. 31 meeting with the Washington Mystics (16-18) at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tip is slated for 7 pm PT, and the game is being broadcast locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.

Download Game Notes

The Aces went 2-2 on their most recent road trip, dropping their final game, 94-85, to New York. That loss tightened the gap between Las Vegas and the Liberty (28-7) to 1.5 games. The Aces have 4 games remaining on their schedule, while New York has 5 on its schedule as the two WNBA “super teams” battle for the No. 1 seed in the postseason.

Las Vegas and New York have split their 4 regular season meetings this year, so should they finish with identical records, the tiebreaker will likely come down to their respective records against teams with .500 records and above. Currently there are 4 teams at or above .500, but there are 4 others who could still get to that mark.

$ Clinched playoff spot
# Eliminated from playoff contention

Despite the Aces’ recent losses, they still have the most efficient offense (112.3) and defense (97.8) in the league. They are also 16-1 at home this season, and lead the WNBA in attendance, averaging 9,158 fans per game.

The Washington Mystics appear to have gotten healthy at just the right time. Two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne missed 17 games in the middle of the season, but returned to the court on August 24 in time to score 21 points in the Mystics 78-62 win over Las Vegas. Five-time All-Defensive Team selection Ariel Atkins missed 11 games, but returned 4 games ago. And 2022 All-Rookie Team member Shakira Austin missed 17 games only to return to the lineup in mid-August.

The Mystics dropped 11 of 15 games from late June through early August, but they have continued to hold on to a playoff spot with the help of winning 4 of their past 6 games, and find themselves in 5th place following last night’s 83-72 home win over Minnesota.

Washington hangs its collective hat on the defensive end of the floor ranking fifth in the league in defensive efficiency (100.0). Mystics opponents make just 43.8 percent of their shots from the field, and turn the ball over a league-high 16.0 times per game.

The team’s injuries have impacted the stat sheet most on the offensive side, where they rank 11th in field goal percentage (.425), 9th in 3-point field goal percentage (.333), and 11th in offensive rebound percentage (.245). The one thing the Mystics have done well all season is take care of the basketball, as they rank second only to Las Vegas in turnover percentage (.160).

NEXT UP

Las Vegas remains at home for a Saturday, Sept. 2 meeting with the Seattle Storm at 6 pm PT. The game is being broadcast locally from Michelob ULTRA Arena on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.