Elena Delle Donne questionable for Game 3 vs. Atlanta

Elena Delle Donne gave the Washington Mystics a big scare the other night, but she seems to have avoided a major injury.

Late in Tuesday night’s Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne went down with a bad-looking left knee injury. Heading into Game 3 and Game 4, the Mystics’ chances of advancing to the WNBA Finals appeared to go down with her as she had to be helped off the floor.

But Wednedsay afternoon brought some good news, relatively speaking. According to the Washington Times, Delle Donne has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and is listed as questionable for Friday night’s Game 3.

Delle Donne had 27 points, 14 rebounds and six assists prior to being injured Tuesday night, after scoring 32 points in Washington’s Game 1 win. The 2015 WNBA MVP was third in the league in scoring during the regular season (21 points per game), while also finishing top-10 in the league in free throw percentage (88.7 percent, fourth) and rebounding (7.3 per game, ninth). Delle Donne also finished just outside the top-10 in 3-point percentage (40.3 percent, 11th).

Delle Donne as able to walk a little after the game Tuesday night. Via remarks released by the Mystics’ PR staff after the game, she was optimistic about her availability going forward as the swelling in her knee “isn’t terrible.”

Being able to play and being able to play at something close to full capacity are two different things. But an extra day between games should only help Delle Donne, and her mere presence in uniform stands to elevate her teammates during a pivotal game Friday night.

In the immediate aftermath of her injury Tuesday night, Delle Done seemed likely to be on the bench in street clothes as the Mystics try to take control of the series against Atlanta and go to the WNBA Finals. But there’s some hope she’ll play, and that might be enough to spur the Mystics to a title run.