At long last, the Washington Mystics have won a game. With star guard Brittney Sykes back in the lineup, the Mystics crushed the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night, 87-68, to win their first game of the season and end the fourth-worst start in WNBA history.
Despite being competitive nearly every time out, the Mystics could not buy a win in the first month of the season and entered Tuesday night in last place at 0-12. Remarkably, 10 of those games had clutch minutes -- score within five points with less than five minutes remaining -- and they had nine losses by single digits, including five by five points or fewer.
Here's where their poor start stacks up on the all-time charts. Ironically, the record they were "chasing" belongs to the Dream, who began 0-17 in their inaugural 2008 season.
| Team | Season | Start |
|---|---|---|
Atlanta Dream | 2008 | 0-17 |
San Antonio Stars | 2017 | 0-14 |
Detroit Shock | 2002 | 0-13 |
Washington Mystics | 2024 | 0-12 |
Indiana Fever | 2018 | 0-10 |
Houston Comets | 2007 | 0-10 |
The Mystics ended the skid in style by lighting it up from behind the arc and putting together their best defensive performance of the season. They went 17-of-31 from downtown, which was the second-most 3-pointers made in a game in franchise history and the most made in a game by any team this season. On the other end, they held the Dream to 35.8% shooting from the field.
A key reason for their long-awaited success is that Sykes was back in the lineup. She went down with an ankle injury just a few minutes into the Mystics' second game of the season and had not played since then. It's safe to say that if she were healthy, the team would not have gone this long without a win.
The drought is over for the @washmystics as they dominated and secured their first WIN of the SZN vs the Dream, 87-68 🌟
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 12, 2024
After being out for 10 games, Brittney Sykes returned in style, dropping 18 PTS, 3 REB, and 4 AST, alongside teammate Ariel Atkins who put on a 18 PT, 4 REB,… pic.twitter.com/LWoyzIHGj2
Sykes is a two-way force who made All-Defensive First Team last season for the second time in her career and finished fourth in Most Improved Player voting. Despite being on a minutes restriction that kept her below 20 minutes, she made her presence felt in this one with 18 points, three rebounds and four assists on 7-of-12 from the field.
With Sykes back and the Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever and reeling Dallas Wings next up on the schedule, the Mystics could suddenly go on a run.
