On Sunday, the WNBA Finals began as the Washington Mystics hosted the Connecticut Sun.
After an exciting, competitive playoffs, it has come to this. Two of the league’s best teams will compete against each other to become the WNBA champion. While some teams started their championship pursuit in the first round, the Mystics and the Sun were an exception. Both teams had double byes and sat out the first two rounds of the playoffs. They waited for their semifinals opponents as they competed in the single-elimination first and second rounds.
In the Semifinals, the Mystics faced the Las Vegas Aces, and the Sun faced the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun ended their series early, as they swept the Sparks 3-0. The Mystics beat the Aces 3-1, as the Aces won Game 3 at home. Now, the Mystics and the Sun meet in this series.
In Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, the Mystics beat the Sun 95-86. Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Her teammates chipped in, as Delle Donne was one of five players to score in double figures. Ariel Atkins scored 21 points, Kristi Toliver scored 18 points, Natasha Cloud scored 13 points and Emma Meesseman scored 11.
.@De11eDonne (22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists in Game 1) is the 3rd player in #WNBAFinals history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, joining Lisa Leslie (2001) and Deanna Nolan (2007). pic.twitter.com/g8yEXfeSFG
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 29, 2019
Delle Donne played her typical game, but one of the most noteworthy performances was from Atkins, who went 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 6 of 7 overall. Toliver, Atkins’s teammate, spoke on her performance.
“I mean, people always ask me about little A,” Mystics point guard Kristi Toliver said of Atkins. “They’re like, all right, what is little A going to bring, is this moment too big for her, da da da. I’m like, listen, little A is little freaking A, and she plays hard all the time and she gives everything all the time and she’s a selfless kid.”
For the Sun, Courtney M. Williams scored 26 points. Three of her teammates also scored in double figures as Alyssa Thomas scored 20, Shekinna Stricklen scored 13 and Jonquel Jones scored 12. Jones was relatively quiet in this game as she took only eight shots.
.@athomas_25 hasn’t missed a shot yet for the @ConnecticutSun! Check out her 15 PTS on 7/7 from the floor in the first half. 👀#WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/fU68zPHAQb
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 29, 2019
When discussing his team, Sun head coach Curt Miller spoke on the importance of offensive execution and transition.
“We can make shots,” Sun coach Miller said. “We can make people – we can execute offensively, and that’s going to be the challenge for both of us all series, can we string consecutive stops together. Our transition is so important to us, and we’ve got to be able to get defensive stops or turn them over so we can get in transition.”
Game 2 takes place later tonight. The Mystics have a chance to gain a 2-0 lead over the Sun, or Connecticut can tie the series as they head home for Game 3. If the Sun get Jones more involved in the offense, there is a good chance they can tie the series. We’ll see what happens later tonight.
You can watch Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at 8 pm ET on ESPN.