The court will be drenched in deep navy and rich red tonight as it’s the Chicago Sky vs the Washington Mystics. Call it a clash of two franchises that know what it takes to win it all, even if that championship pedigree hasn’t fully surfaced this season. The Mystics, who took the trophy in 2019, already hold a 2-0 edge in this year’s series against the 2021 champs, Sky. Whereas the Sky are staring down a double hat trick of losses if they drop this one.

For Chicago, the stakes don’t just sit with the scoreboard. They hit even harder for Elizabeth Williams. It’s because she once patrolled the paint for Washington. Now, she’s with the Sky when they are falling down. However, Chicago does have a fair shot tonight. Can they win? Let’s break it down for you…

Where to Watch the Chicago Sky vs the Washington Mystics?

• Date: Tuesday, 29th July
• Time: 7:30 PM ET (Eastern Time)
• Venue:  CareFirst Arena, Washington, D.C.

For the folks wishing to watch it on cable services, you can choose ION, MNMT, or NBA TV, with Pat Boylan (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analysis). For viewers who are willing to opt for streaming services, you can watch it using the WNBA League Pass, Amazon Prime US, Fubo, SlingTV, and YouTube TV.

The Injury Report

Chicago Sky:

The Chicago Sky’s injury report looks more like a starting lineup at this point. Here are the injured players:

• Hailey Van Lith: Day-to-day (ankle)
• Michela Onyewere: Day-to-day (knee)
• Angel Reese:Day-to-day(back)
• Ariel Atkins: Out (leg)
• Courtney Vandersloot: Out (knee, ACL surgery)

Washington Mystics:

Though not clean, the Mystics’ injury report is fairly stable, relatively.

• Aaliyah Edwards: Out (wrist)
• Sika Kone: Out (contract suspension)
• Georgia Amoore: Out (right ACL surgery)

Predicted Starting Lineup

Chicago Sky:

• Elizabeth Williams: 20.0 MIN, 8.0 PTS, 1.7 AST, 0.8 BLK, 0.7 STL
• Kamilla Cardoso: 24.4 MIN, 12.1 PTS, 1.7 AST, 0.4 BLK, 0.4 STL
• Rachel Banham: 22.0 MIN, 8.3 PTS, 2.2 AST, 0.2 BLK, 0.5 STL
• Rebecca Allen: 20.0 MIN, 6.0 PTS, 1.5 AST, 0.5 BLK, 0.5 STL
• Kia Nurse: 22.5 MIN, 7.0 PTS, 1.0 AST, 0.1 BLK, 0.4 STL

Washington Mystics:

• Shakira Austin: 22.6 MIN, 13.0 PTS, 1.7 AST, 0.2 BLK, 1.1 STL
• Kiki Iriafen: 25.0 MIN, 11.5 PTS, 1.3 AST, 0.2 BLK, 0.6 STL
• Brittney Sykes: 31.3 MIN, 16.0 PTS, 4.5 AST, 0.3 BLK, 1.1 STL
• Sug Sutton: 25.1 MIN, 7.5 PTS, 3.1 AST, 0.1 BLK, 1.0 STL
• Sonia Citron: 32.9 MIN, 13.6 PTS, 2.2 AST, 0.4 BLK, 1.1 STL

How the Chicago Sky vs Washington Mystics Might Go Down…

Unsurprisingly, ESPN Analytics favors Washington. It gives the Mystics a 62.1% shot at holding home court, and the matchup details support that. Chicago (7-18) is stumbling into this one on a five-game losing streak. The injured squad is putting up just 76.8 points per game while allowing 87.1. It’s a rough -10.3 point differential, the second-worst in the league. With Angel Reese out, the Sky have also lost their best rebounder and energy source. This forces Kamilla Cardoso (12.0 PPG) and Elizabeth Williams (8.0 PPG) to carry the frontcourt load.

The Mystics, on the other hand, (12-13) aren’t dominating, but they have been more reliable. They have won five of their last ten and limited the opponents to 80.3 PPG. Brittney Sykes (16.0 PPG, 4.5 APG) is their engine. Whereas rookie Sonia Citron (13.6 PPG) and Shakira Austin (13.0 PPG) provide her steady support. Washington also has a slight rebounding advantage (35.3 to Chicago’s 36.2, though Chicago pads that with offensive boards) and a more even scoring distribution.

For the Sky to pull off an upset, they will need to shoot way better than their 41.7% field goal percentage. They will also have to clean up their ball security (18.8 assists to 16.1 turnovers won’t get it done). Otherwise, Washington’s deeper backcourt and more reliable offense should be enough to secure a home victory.