Mercury vs Mystics Game Preview

The Phoenix Mercury have a chance to put a halt to their three-game losing streak with a matchup against a Washington Mystics team they beat back in May.

Washington Mystics guard Sug Sutton (1) is defended by Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) during the first quarter at PHX Arena on May 25, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Sunday night, the Phoenix Mercury are traveling to the nation's capital to take on the Washington Mystics. It'll be the second matchup between the two teams this season and the Mercury will be hoping to pick up another win against this young Washington team to end their three-game losing streak.

The Last Matchup

The last matchup was a low-scoring affair, with the Mercury pulling out a narrow 68-62 victory behind suffocating defense. Phoenix was playing without star guard Kahleah Copper, last year's leading scorer, and struggled a bit to find their groove on offense, shooting just 33% from the field and 32% from deep.

The defense came up huge though, holding the Mystics to just six made threes and forcing a ridiculous 27 turnovers while holding All-Star guard (and Washington's leading scorer) Brittney Sykes to just 10 points on 1-for-13 shooting. Three Mystics players had three or more turnovers.

Monique Akoa Makani led Phoenix in scoring that night, with 13 points and three makes from beyond the arc, while Satou Sabally had 12 points, albeit on a tough shooting night.

The Mystics' season so far

The Mystics are 12-12 right now, good for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference and seventh-best in the league, which has them in a playoff spot for now. The future is bright in D.C., with two of their rookies -- Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen -- named to the All-Star game this year and both averaging double-digit points on the season.

They're fresh off an impressive win against a very good Seattle Storm team on Saturday night. While the Mercury are still finding their groove now that a big chunk of their lineup has just come back from injury, the Mystics may be facing a fatigue issue of their own, playing on the second night of a back-to-back.

Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards (24) is defended by Phoenix Mercury forward Kathryn Westbeld (24) during the second quarter at PHX Arena on May 25, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How they match up

Part of the reason the Mercury defense thrived in the last matchup was the Mystics' youth and part was on their relative inability to stretch the floor and prevent Phoenix from packing the paint. Washington is just eighth in the league in three-point percentage this year and their main starting lineup features two players who are non-threats from deep.

Phoenix, meanwhile, is expected to get Kathryn Westbeld back, per Underdog WNBA, allowing them to play a five-out starting lineup where everyone must be guarded from beyond the arc, putting stress on an inexperienced unit that is in the middle of the pack in terms of defensive efficiency. The Mystics also have a bottom-three offensive unit, and if the Mercury can get back in rhythm defensively, Washington could really struggle to score again.

Offensively, Phoenix had a tough time scoring against Washington last time out, but having a full squad for the first time all year -- plus the added depth of DeWanna Bonner, who had yet to join the team before the previous matchup -- should prove helpful against what could be a tired Mystics team, who will be playing their second game in less than 24 hours. If Phoenix can force turnovers and get in transition, and if they have a better shooting performance than they did back in May, this could be a great chance for the Mercury to stop their losing streak.

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