Sun 80, Mystics 69: A (very positive) vision of what's to come?

I guess there were two ways things could go Tuesday for the Sun, and it looked right off the tip like the worse option, the Mystics raced to a 15-5 lead, shot 9-for-11 from inside the arc in the first quarter, Sonia Cintron was running around doing whatever she wanted. 

In short, it looked a lot like the Sun’s last trip to the nation’s capital where they gave up 104 points without the offensively challenged Mystics breaking a sweat.

But then Saniya Rivers joined the fray, Leila Lacan decided she had enough, and they were soon joined by Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Alliyah Edwards. Washington would get just 54 points in the final 35 minutes (and a few of those were in garbage time down the stretch) as the Sun posted a satisfying 80-69 win over the playoff hopeful Mystics.

Breaking a 13-game losing streak was rewarding enough, but the manner it happened and the players that led the way give us the hope that things could turn around somewhat quickly (hopefully not in Houston, although sadly that seems like the Sun’s most likely destination in 2027 at the moment). 

Suffocating defense by Leila Lacan was great, but watching Nelson-Ododa have perhaps her best all-around game of the season was even better. The advanced stats have heaped her praises for most of the season, and she finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and a +15 in 29 minutes, certainly looking like a keeper when expansion decisions have to be made soon.

Tina Charles had a decent 13 points and 9 rebounds, while Marina Mabrey had only 9 points as Connecticut shot just 3-for-16 from behind the arc.

But they won convincingly anyway, and this one belonged to the youngsters, as the rest of the 10 games in the 2025 season should.  

What else did we learn Tuesday in a matchup that will be repeated in 48 hours?:

 

1. Are the Sun better with Marina Mabrey not on the floor?  - They certainly were Tuesday, Mabrey was a defensive liability, getting beat backdoor by Alysha Clark twice and not having a chance against Sonia Cintron. She was 0-for-3 from behind the arc and turned it over three times. If the Sun were playoff bound, obviously Mabrey is a proven scorer, even if her stats this year are dreadful. Her minutes largely came at the expense of Bria Hartley (14), who has struggled lately, but Aneesah Morrow only got 11 minutes as well. 

2. It’s Leila Lacan’s world…. - Lacan is now averaging 2.3 steals in 17 games (four on Tuesday), and amazingly didn’t have a single one in her first three games. But it’s much more than that, she is so quick to the rim, and that combined with her size at the guard spot and ability to hit mid-range jumpers mean the sky might be the limit at 21 years (and 2 months) old. Her shooting is the next frontier for her, she is just 2-for-23 in her last seven games. But the difference in before she arrived with the Sun and after is amazing.

3. Consistency? -  Don’t want to harp on any negative things after a game like Tuesday, but how could that be the same defense that let Indiana score 70 points in the second half and overtime Sunday. 70?!? Granted, Kelsey Mitchell wasn’t out there, but Washington has played well lately and their offense has not been terrible over the last couple of weeks. Sonia Cintron looked very ordinary and has not against many teams, either. What Sun team will turn up Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena? The answer might be telling.

Player of the game:  Olivia Nelson-Ododa - ONO has not been Rachid Meziane’s favorite player, or at least her minutes have not matched what the advanced numbers think of her. She has her moments where it looks like her concentration lapses, but they’ve been fewer of late and her rebounding seems much improved as well. And she only had three fouls in 29 minutes.

Inside the numbers : 37 -  Margin of defeat for the Sun the last time they played the Mystics (104-67). It was their second loss that big in a week at the time and they picked up another in Minnesota on June 29, but they haven’t had a 20-point loss since. 

Under the radar: Speaking of margins, the line for this game finished at -5.5 for Washington, which seemed really low given that the Mystics were largely healthy, but Vegas always knows and perhaps I should have had more faith in the Sun, too. They are a lot better, there’s not much doubt anymore.

NBC Sports Boston aired a halftime interview with Saniya Rivers, which talked about how she doesn’t have time for haters who get on her for posting non-basketball content. But she also said the Sun have been cohesive all season and she “hears it’s not that way in a couple of other locker rooms”. Credit to everyone for that, and in short, Saniya Rivers is awesome.

Quotable:  “We played the game we wanted to play. We played with consistency. We didn’t panic in the second half, we played with a lot of serenity. I really liked how the team defended today. It means we are capable of playing with consistency and at a high level.” - Rachid Meziane

Next up: Thursday vs. Washington, 7 p.m. EDT