2018 Washington Mystics season

2018 Washington Mystics season
Coach	Mike Thibault
Arena	Capital One Arena
Attendance	6,136 per game
Results
Record	22–12 (.647)
Place	2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	3rd seed; lost in WNBA Finals to Seattle Storm 0–3.
Team Leaders
Points	Elena Delle Donne – 20.7 ppg
Rebounds	Elena Delle Donne – 7.2 rpg
Assists	Natasha Cloud – 4.6 apg
Media
Television	NBC Sports Washington and Monumental Sports Network
	← 2017 season 2019 season →

The 2018 WNBA season is the 21st for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association which began on May 20, 2018. The Mystics qualified for the WNBA Playoffs and reached the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.^[1]

The Mystics started the season strong with a 5–1 record in May. Their only loss came to eventual league champions Seattle. However, the team couldn't carry this momentum into June, where they went 5–5. The Mystics lost 4 of their first 5 games in June, but turned it around in the second half of the month, winning 4 of their last 5. The up and down season continued into July, where they again went 5–5. The Mystics finished the season just like the started it, strongly. With a 7–1 August record, the team secured a first round playoff bye, and the third overall seed. The Mystics won seven straight games before dropping their season finale against Minnesota. Their final record of 22–12 tied a franchise best, previously set in 2010.

The Mystics hosted a second round playoff game against the Los Angeles Sparks and won 96–64. This win saw them advance to the semifinals where they met the Atlanta Dream. In the best of five series, the Mystics won the final two games to advance to the 2018 WNBA Finals against the Storm. An injury to star Elena Delle Donne in the semifinals hampered her in the finals, and the Mystics were swept 0–3.

Transactions

WNBA Draft

Trades/Roster Changes

Roster

Washington Mystics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From	Yrs
G	7	Atkins, Ariel	5' 11" (1.8m)	160 lb (73kg)	07-30-1996	Texas	R
G	15	Cloud, Natasha	6' 0" (1.83m)	160 lb (73kg)	02-22-1992	Saint Joseph's	3
F	25	Currie, Monique	6' 0" (1.83m)	175 lb (79kg)	02-25-1983	Duke	12
G/F	11	Delle Donne, Elena	6' 5" (1.96m)	187 lb (85kg)	09-05-1989	Delaware	5
F	21	Hawkins, Tianna	6' 3" (1.91m)	193 lb (88kg)	03-02-1991	Maryland	4
F	2	Hines-Allen, Myisha	6' 2" (1.88m)	200 lb (91kg)	05-30-1996	Louisville	R
G/F	23	Powers, Aerial	6' 0" (1.83m)	157 lb (71kg)	07-17-1994	Michigan State	2
G	14	Ruffin-Pratt, Tierra	5' 11" (1.8m)	180 lb (82kg)	04-11-1991	North Carolina	5
F/C	30	Sanders, LaToya	6' 3" (1.91m)	170 lb (77kg)	09-11-1986	North Carolina	5
C	34	Thomas, Krystal	6' 5" (1.96m)	210 lb (95kg)	06-10-1989	Duke	6
G	20	Toliver, Kristi	5' 7" (1.7m)	130 lb (59kg)	01-27-1987	Maryland	9
G	32	Walker-Kimbrough, Shatori	5' 11" (1.8m)	142 lb (64kg)	05-18-1995	Maryland	1

East: ATL • CHI • CON • IND • NY • WAS \| West: DAL • LV • LA • MIN • PHO • SEA

Head coach: Mike Thibault (St. Martin's)
Assistant coaches: Marianne Stanley (Immaculata)
Eric Thibault (Missouri)

Athletic trainer: Chalisa Fonza (Western Illinois)

Strength and conditioning coach: Vacant

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

WNBA roster page

Game Log

Preseason

2018 pre-season game log

May: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)

2018 pre-season schedule

Regular season

2018 game log
Total: 22–12 (Home: 12–5; Road: 10–7)

May: 5–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 2–1)

June : 5–5 (Home: 3–4; Road: 2–1)

July : 5–5 (Home: 2–1; Road: 3–4)

August : 7–1 (Home: 4–0; Road: 3–1)

2018 season schedule

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log
Total: 4–5 (Home: 2–2; Road: 2–3)

Second Round: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	August 23	Los Angeles	W 96–64	Donne (19)	Donne (12)	Toliver (9)	Charles Smith Center 3,548	1–0

Semifinals: 3–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–1)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	August 26	@ Atlanta	W 87–84	Delle Donne (32)	Delle Donne (13)	Toliver (6)	McCamish Pavilion 5,086	1–0
2	August 28	@ Atlanta	L 75–78	Delle Donne (27)	Delle Donne (14)	Tied (6)	McCamish Pavilion 3,813	1–1
3	August 31	Atlanta	L 76–81	Powers (18)	Hawkins (9)	Toliver (6)	Charles Smith Center 3,867	1–2
4	September 2	Atlanta	W 97–76	4 Tied (12)	Delle Donne (10)	Toliver (7)	Charles Smith Center 3,722	2–2
5	September 4	@ Atlanta	W 86–81	Atkins (20)	Delle Donne (11)	Cloud (5)	McCamish Pavilion 4,435	3–2

WNBA Finals: 0–3 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–2)

2018 playoff schedule

Standings

#	Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
1	Atlanta Dream (2)	23	11	.676	–	13–4	10–7	12–4
2	Washington Mystics (3)	22	12	.647	1	12–5	10–7	12–4
3	Connecticut Sun (4)	21	13	.618	2	13–4	8–9	9–7
4	e – Chicago Sky	13	21	.382	10	7–10	6–11	6–10
5	e – New York Liberty	7	27	.206	16	4–13	3–14	6–10
6	e – Indiana Fever	6	28	.176	17	2–15	4–13	3–13

First round: Single elimination (Aug. 21)		Second round: Single elimination (Aug. 23)		Semifinals: Best-of-five (Aug. 26 – Sept. 4)		WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 7 – Sept. 12)












				1 Seattle Storm	3

				5 Phoenix Mercury	2



		4 Connecticut Sun	86

		5 Phoenix Mercury	96
5 Phoenix Mercury	101

8 Dallas Wings	83
						1 Seattle Storm	3

						3 Washington Mystics	0
6 Los Angeles Sparks	75

7 Minnesota Lynx	68
		3 Washington Mystics	96

		6 Los Angeles Sparks	64



				2 Atlanta Dream	2

				3 Washington Mystics	3

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Semifinals

Team	1	2	3	4	5
1 Seattle Storm	91	91	66	84	94
5 Phoenix Mercury	87	87	86	86	84

Team	1	2	3	4	5
2 Atlanta Dream	84	78	81	76	81
3 Washington Mystics	87	75	76	97	86

WNBA Finals

Team	1	2	3
1 Seattle Storm	89	75	98
3 Washington Mystics	76	73	82

Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage	TO	Turnovers per game
PF	Fouls per game		Team leader		League leader

Regular season

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
Elena Delle Donne	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week	June 18, 2018	^[8]
	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week	July 2, 2018	^[9]
	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month - June	July 3, 2018	^[10]
	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week	July 9, 2018	^[11]
Elena Delle Donne	WNBA All-Star Captain	July 17, 2018	^[12]
Kristi Toliver	WNBA All-Star Selection	July 17, 2018	^[12]
Elena Delle Donne	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week	August 13, 2018	^[13]
Elena Delle Donne	WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month - August	August 20, 2018	^[14]
Ariel Atkins	All-Defensive Second Team	August 30, 2018	^[15]
Ariel Atkins	All-Rookie Team	September 9, 2018	^[16]
Elena Delle Donne	All-WNBA First Team	September 12, 2018	^[17]

References

↑ "2018 Washington Mystics Schedule". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
↑ "MEESSEMAN TO MISS 2018 WNBA SEASON". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
↑ "MONIQUE CURRIE RETURNS TO MYSTICS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
↑ "HAWKINS, HIGHTOWER AND SANDERS RE-SIGN WITH WASHINGTON". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
1 2 "MYSTICS ADD PETERS, RE-SIGN TAYLOR". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
↑ "Mystics Trade Tayler Hill To Wings For Aerial Powers". wnba.com. WNBA. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
↑ "Las Vegas Aces Forfeit Game vs. Washington Mystics". wnba.com. WNBA. August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
↑ "Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
↑ "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
↑ "Washington's Delle Donne, Phoenix's Taurasi Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
↑ "Elena Delle Donne, A'ja Wilson Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
↑ "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
↑ "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week (Aug 6-12)". wnba.com. WNBA. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
↑ "Elena Delle Donne And Diana Taurasi Named Players Of Month For August". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
↑ "Defensive POY Alana Beard Leads 2018 WNBA All-Defensive First Team" (Press release). WNBA. August 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
↑ "Diamond DeShields, A'ja Wilson Headline 2018 WNBA All-Rookie Team" (Press release). WNBA. September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
↑ "2018 All-WNBA Teams Announced: MVP Stewart Headlines First Team, Taurasi Selected for Record 13th Time" (Press release). WNBA. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

External links

The Official Site of the Washington Mystics

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "2018 Washington Mystics Schedule". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

[2] "MEESSEMAN TO MISS 2018 WNBA SEASON". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

[3] "MONIQUE CURRIE RETURNS TO MYSTICS". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

[4] "HAWKINS, HIGHTOWER AND SANDERS RE-SIGN WITH WASHINGTON". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

[signings-5] 1 2 "MYSTICS ADD PETERS, RE-SIGN TAYLOR". mystics.wnba.com. WNBA. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

[6] "Mystics Trade Tayler Hill To Wings For Aerial Powers". wnba.com. WNBA. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[7] "Las Vegas Aces Forfeit Game vs. Washington Mystics". wnba.com. WNBA. August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.

[8] "Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.

[9] "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.

[10] "Washington's Delle Donne, Phoenix's Taurasi Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.

[11] "Elena Delle Donne, A'ja Wilson Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.

[12] "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.

[13] "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week (Aug 6-12)". wnba.com. WNBA. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.

[14] "Elena Delle Donne And Diana Taurasi Named Players Of Month For August". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.

[15] "Defensive POY Alana Beard Leads 2018 WNBA All-Defensive First Team" (Press release). WNBA. August 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

[16] "Diamond DeShields, A'ja Wilson Headline 2018 WNBA All-Rookie Team" (Press release). WNBA. September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

[17] "2018 All-WNBA Teams Announced: MVP Stewart Headlines First Team, Taurasi Selected for Record 13th Time" (Press release). WNBA. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Elena Delle Donne	29	29	32.2	.488	.405	.887	7.2	2.3	0.9	1.4	20.7
Kristi Toliver	33	33	32.9	.433	.360	.918	2.3	4.4	1.2	0.0	13.9
Ariel Atkins	29	24	22.5	.432	.357	.824	2.4	2.1	1.3	0.3	11.3
LaToya Sanders	28	25	24.5	.607	.000	.869	6.4	1.6	1.3	1.1	10.2
Natasha Cloud	27	22	26.5	.436	.386	.778	3.2	4.6	0.8	0.1	8.6
Monique Currie	32	9	15.9	.395	.293	.831	3.0	0.8	0.4	0.2	6.6
Tianna Hawkins	32	4	16.6	.443	.357	.824	3.5	0.8	0.5	0.4	6.3
Aerial Powers	9	0	12.7	.450	.438	1.00	3.2	0.9	0.7	0.4	6.1
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt	33	10	18.1	.341	.314	.855	2.0	1.5	0.6	0.2	5.5
Myisha Hines-Allen	24	1	10.5	.450	.333	.654	2.9	0.4	0.4	0.2	3.8
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough	19	1	8.8	.429	.304	1.00	0.8	0.4	0.4	0.3	3.5
Krystal Thomas	24	7	9.9	.429	.000	.636	2.5	0.2	0.2	0.1	1.8

Washington Mystics
Founded in 1998 Based in Washington, D.C.
Franchise	Franchise Most recent season
Arenas	Capital One Arena (1998–2018) St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena (2019–future)
Head coaches	Jim Lewis Cathy Parson Nancy Darsch Darrell Walker Tom Maher Marianne Stanley Michael Adams Richie Adubato Tree Rollins Jessie Kenlaw Julie Plank Trudi Lacey Mike Thibault
Administration	Owners: Washington Sports and Entertainment Monumental Sports and Entertainment Sponsor: Inova Health System General Manager: Melissa McFerrin Judy Holland-Burton Linda Hargrove Angela Taylor Trudi Lacey Mike Thibault
All-Stars	Alana Beard Monique Currie Stacey Dales Elena Delle Donne Stefanie Dolson Lindsey Harding Chamique Holdsclaw Crystal Langhorne Ivory Latta Nikki McCray Emma Meesseman DeLisha Milton-Jones Kristi Toliver
Seasons	1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Playoff appearances	2000 2002 2004 2006 2009 2010 2013 2014 2017 2018
Conference Championships	2018
WNBA Championships	None
Rivals	Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Detroit Shock Indiana Fever
Media	TV: NBC Sports Washington Radio: WSPZ (Money 1260) Announcers: Frank Hanrahan, Christy Winters Scott

2018 WNBA season by team
Draft Transactions All-Star Game Playoffs Finals
Eastern	Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics
Western	Dallas Wings Las Vegas Aces Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Seattle Storm
← 2017 WNBA season 2019 →

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
1	7	Ariel Atkins	United States	Texas
2	19	Myisha Hines-Allen	United States	Louisville
3	31	Rebecca Greenwell	United States	Duke

Date	Details
February 1, 2018	C Emma Meesseman to miss 2018 season due to rest.^[2]
February 1, 2018	Signed F/G Monique Currie.^[3]
February 2, 2018	Re-Signed F Tianna Hawkins, F Allison Hightower, and F LaToya Sanders^[4]
February 5, 2018	Re-Signed F Asia Taylor^[5]
February 5, 2018	Signed F Devereaux Peters^[5]
July 23, 2018	Traded G Tayler Hill and 2019 WNBA Draft second round pick and the rights to swap first round picks to Dallas Wings in exchange for F Aerial Powers.^[6]