The rebuilding Washington Mystics haven't been to the playoffs since 2023, and haven't won a playoff series since 2019, when they won the title. This time six weeks ago, it didn't seem like either of those droughts would end. The Mystics were under .500 at 8-9 after a loss to the lowly Connecticut Sun, and sat in ninth place.
Fast forward, and they're suddenly the hottest team. Two days after that loss to the Sun, they beat the Portland Fire in just the second quadruple-overtime game in WNBA history and have never looked back. They're 11-3 in their last 14 games, and their current seven-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in franchise history.
All of a sudden, they're sitting in fifth place, just half a game behind the Indiana Fever for fourth and two games behind the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces for third. Not only are they all but certain to make the playoffs, they could earn homecourt advantage in the first round – especially with the third-easiest remaining schedule, which includes multiple games against the Sky, Sparks and Mercury.
The Mystics' defense has been their biggest strength throughout the season, and though it's actually slipped a bit during their winning streak relative to their previous level, they have the best mark in the league over the last seven games (104.7). Crucially, though, their offense has finally caught up.
For much of the season, the Mystics have been the worst offensive team in the league. At one point, they were on track to become the first team since the 2004 Minnesota Lynx to make the playoffs while finishing last in offensive rating. But during this winning streak, they have a 113.6 offensive rating, which ranks sixth in the league in that span – more than good enough when combined with their defense.
Shakira Austin has led the way on the offensive end during this turnaround. After a strong start to the season, she had a disastrous June. But since then, she's been playing at an All-WNBA level. Over the last seven games, Austin is averaging 21.7 points on 54.8% shooting, to go along with 10.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks. During the winning streak, the Mystics have a 111.6 offensive rating with Austin on the floor and an 88.6 offensive rating when she sits.
Even more encouraging for the Mystics is that they signed Betnijah Laney-Hamilton off waivers after the former All-Star was waived by the Liberty. She's struggled this season after missing all of 2025 with a knee injury, but could provide the perimeter scoring and shot-making the team is still lacking.
And to think, the Mystics are going to add a 2027 lottery pick to this group thanks to the pick swap they're owed from the Chicago Sky. Whatever happens the rest of the way this season, the future is bright in D.C.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | After the Lynx's 10-game winning streak was snapped with a surprise loss to the Sparks, Cheryl Reeve lit into her team. "Every player, at every position, was terrible," she said. They immediately responded by easily handling the Aces and Wings to maintain their strong hold on first place. In Sunday's win over Dallas, Kayla McBride set the WNBA record for 3-pointers in a game with 10 en route to a career-high 43 points. | -- | |
| 2 |  | The Valkyries just keep rolling along. They've won four games in a row and have now matched their win total from last season with 12 games to play. That's despite implementing some pretty strict load management for star forward Gabby Williams, who, in anticipation of the World Cup next month, sat out of their first game post-All-Star and has not played more than 22 minutes since play resumed. | -- | |
| 3 |  | Here come the Mystics. They've suddenly won seven games in a row, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak in franchise history and has vaulted them into fifth place. They're now almost certain to make the playoffs for the first time since 2023, and may even earn homecourt advantage if they can keep things rolling. And thanks to the third-easiest remaining schedule, an elite defense, Shakira Austin's mid-season revival and the arrival of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, they just might. | 5 | |
| 4 |  | The Aces rested A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray on Sunday in order to give them a break at the end of a five-games-in-nine-days road trip and to make a statement about playing back-to-back national TV games in different time zones with less than 24 hours between tips. "I don't even think they do this in the NBA," Hammon said. Ignoring the 40-point loss to the Liberty without their Big Three, the Aces' road trip was a slog and they have not been at their best post-All-Star. | 1 | |
| 5 |  | The Fever's inability to play a normal game continued this week with an overtime loss to the Aces and a narrow win over the Sky that included Sophie Cunningham taking a Flagrant 2 foul from DiJonai Carrington. On the flip side, Kelsey Mitchell's brilliance has also remained a constant for the Fever. She put up 27 points in their win over Chicago to pass A'ja Wilson for the longest 20-point game streak in WNBA history at 16. | 2 | |
| 6 |  | The Liberty got a free win from the Aces and have now won four in a row and seven of their last eight to climb into seventh place and back into the mix for a top-four seed. However, not counting the win over the Aces' B team, they've only beaten one playoff team in this stretch and have one double digit win. While there are still some concerns in Brooklyn, Sabrina Ionescu's turnaround is a real positive. She's averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and five assists on 45.5/39.7/97 shooting splits over their last eight games. | 1 | |
| 7 |  | Jordin Canada had a combined 16 points on 4 of 13 shooting with nine turnovers in the Dream's two defeats this week, continuing a concerning trend for Atlanta's starting point guard. After a strong start to the season, her efficiency has decreased every month and her turnovers have increased every month. Post-All-Star break, she's averaging just 9.2 points on 27% shooting with 5.4 turnovers. The Dream desperately need her to turn it around. They're 15-5 when she scores in double figures and 4-7 when she does not. | 1 | |
| 8 |  | The Wings have dropped three games in a row - their longest losing streak of the season - and six of their last eight to fall to eighth place. While they still have a big lead over the Fire, the early-season optimism about them possibly being more than just a playoff team is fading. They have just two wins over top-eight teams since May, and for the season are 6-13 against top-eight teams and 13-1 against lottery opponents. | 4 | |
| 9 |  | The Fire snapped a five-game winning streak with wins over the Tempo and Storm to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. But as bad as the Wings have been lately, it's hard to see them making up five and a half games, even with a chance to win the season series against Dallas. Not only did star point guard Carla Leite leave their win over Seattle with a knee sprain, but they have the fourth-hardest remaining schedule. | -- | |
| 10 |  | The Sky have played .500 ball for nearly a month, and haven't lost a game by more than five during that stretch, but their late-season improvement is too little, too late. To make matters worse, the organization is now entrenched in more drama after DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham in their most recent defeat and immediately sent controversial social media posts from the locker room. | 2 | |
| 11 |  | Cameron Brink had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in an upset win over the first-place Lynx, and is now averaging 9.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 50% shooting since the All-Star break. With nothing left to play for this season, it will be interesting to see if the Sparks move Brink into the starting lineup down the stretch and try to extend her minutes now that she's fully healthy again. | 3 | |
| 12 |  | The Mercury's decision to trade for Kelsey Plum seemed to be more about next season and getting a jump on free agency, but you still thought they'd be more competitive with her in the lineup. Instead, they're just 1-3 with Plum, who had to leave their latest defeat due to left calf tightness. Now seven and a half games out of the playoffs and without their 2027 first-round pick, their only goal the rest of the way is convincing Plum to re-sign. | 2 | |
| 13 |  | The Sun snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over the Mercury, but that result only slightly delays the inevitable. They are next in line to join the Storm as official 2027 lottery teams. Amid a long final season in Uncasville, Olivia Nelson-Ododa continues to show that she is part of the organization's future in Houston. She's averaging 11.8 points, eight rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks post-All-Star break. | 2 | |
| 14 |  | The Tempo's hopes of making the playoffs in their inaugural season have collapsed over the last few weeks. They've now lost eight games in a row and 12 of their last 13 to fall to 13th place. A horrid defense has been the biggest culprit for their demise. They have an absurd 123.9 defensive rating during their losing streak, and their 115.1 defensive rating for the season is on pace to be the worst mark in league history. | 1 | |
| 15 |  | The Storm are mired in their second 11-game losing streak of the season and have become the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention. Those 11-game skids are tied for the longest in franchise history and the longest by any team this season. They have also joined the 2008 Dream as the only teams to record multiple losing streaks of at least 10 games in the same season. | -- |
