Mystics vs. Lynx prediction and odds for Wednesday, July 26 (Back Minnesota at home)
By Peter Dewey
The Washington Mystics and Minnesota Lynx are both in third place in their respective conferences heading into Wednesday night’s matchup, but Washington (12-10) has been much better than Minnesota (10-13) so far in 2023 record wise.
The Mystics are unfortunately shorthanded at the moment, missing leading scorer Elena Delle Donne as well as several other key rotation pieces in this game.
Napheesa Collier has been carrying Minnesota all season with Natalie Achonwa (maternity leave) out of the lineup, but can she do it against one of the league’s best defensive units?
Before we get into the odds, let’s look at the injury report for both teams.
Washington Mystics injury report
- Elena Delle Donne (ankle, out)
- Ariel Atkins (out)
- Shakira Austin (hip, out)
- Kristi Toliver (foot, out)
Minnesota Lynx injury report
- Rachel Banham (thumb, out)
- Natalie Achonwa (maternity leave, out)
- Jessica Shepard (illness, questionable)
That’s a lot of key pieces sitting out this game on both sides, but the Lynx may be the team to wager on in this spot.
Mystics vs. Lynx odds, spread and total
Mystics vs. Lynx prediction and pick
They Mystics have hung their hat on the defensive end, ranking third in the WNBA in defensive rating, but the team may have a hard time keeping up with Delle Donne out of the lineup.
Atkins, Austin and Delle Donne are three of the team’s four leading scorers, leaving Natasha Cloud as the lone healthy option to carry the offense.
That, coupled with the fact that Washington is just 3-7 against the spread on the road this season, makes it tough for me to consider a wager on the Mystics.
While the Lynx are still a questionable playoff team, Minnesota is serviceable against the spread this season, going 11-11-1.
As long as Collier is out there, the Lynx have the best player on the floor in this matchup, so I’ll trust them to get things done at home.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change