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The Washington Mystics are back and healthy, and the Minnesota Lynx look to rebound off a poor opening effort in the second game for both teams of the 2022 WNBA season on Sunday. ESPN2 will be the TV network for the 8:00 p.m. ET tip-off at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Mystics were 84-70 winners over the Indiana Fever on Friday night in DC. Back to full strength after facing some big injuries in 2021, Elena Delle Donne will look to lead this team back to the playoffs and championship after only playing three games in 2021. Delle Donne was the WNBA MVP in 2019 when the Mystics won their first WNBA Championship.
The Lynx will have their first home opener in their final ride with Sylvia Fowles, who is scheduled to retire after the season. Minnesota got run off the court 97-74 on Friday against the Seattle Storm. The Lynx sent shock ways across the league last week when they cut 2020 Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield and starting point guard Layisha Clarendon in last-minute roster moves. Clarendon averaged 10.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game last year, but suffered from a stress fracture in their right fibula at the end of last season.
Mystics vs. Lynx
Tip time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN2
Live stream: WatchESPN (need subscription), WNBA League Pass, Sling TV
Point spread: Minnesota -4
Moneyline odds: Washington +155, Minnesota -175
Picks & predictions
Pick: Washington +4
While you can expect the Lynx to play better at home, they still looked pretty rough outside of Fowles on opening night. Seventeen turnovers and being just 4-21 from three-point range tends to do that.
While the Mystics weren’t exactly lights out themselves at just 4-18 from downtown, they gave it away just eight times and got 21 points and nine rebounds in under 30 minutes from Delle Donne. Add in Ariel Atkins, one of the true underrated players in the league, and it should be enough to find a cover on the road.
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