WNBA News, Notes & Lineups 9/15

Sep 15th 2023

Cooper BoniJohn Raudebaugh

Washington Mystics at New York Liberty, 7:30pm ET

Mystics Injury Report: Shakira Austin (hip), Kristi Toliver (knee) are OUT.

Mystics Confirmed Lineup: Natasha Cloud, Ariel Atkins, Brittney Sykes, Elena Delle Donne, Myisha Hines-Allen

Liberty Injury Report: Han Xu (overseas commitment) is OUT.

Liberty Confirmed Lineup: Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones

The Mystics were one of the most difficult matchups for the Liberty this year as they won two of four meetings against New York during the regular season. Washington's 100.0 Defensive Rating against the Liberty was the best of any team, and they were also the only squad to finish with a positive Net Rating (+3.3) against them. Brittney Sykes averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals during the season series. In the final contest, she led the Mystics with a 27.1% usage rate while recording a team-high 20 points.

Atlanta Dream at Dallas Wings, 9:30pm ET

Dream Injury Report: TBD

Dream Projected Lineup: Danielle Robinson, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Monique Billings, Cheyenne Parker

Wings Injury Report: Diamond DeShields (knee), Lou Lopez Sénéchal (knee) are OUT.

Wings Projected Lineup: Crystal Dangerfield, Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally, Natasha Howard, Teaira McCowan

The Wings present a difficult matchup for a Dream team that struggled in the paint all year. During the regular season, opponents averaged the third-most rebounds per game (35.7) against Atlanta. Dallas won all three contests against them, led by Teaira McCowan's 10.0 rebounds per game. Natasha Howard chipped in 7.7 boards per game against the Dream, while Kalani Brown averaged 9.0 rebounds against them. In the regular season finale, Dallas had 15 more rebounds than Atlanta and scored 46 points in the paint.