Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 19th, 2024, between the Fever with a record of 20-19 and the Mystics at 13-26.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season is nearing its conclusion, and Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics are facing high stakes. Under the bright lights of the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., both teams are desperate to make a statement. There is one eye on redemption, and the other on dominance. This is a game where every play has the power to shift the momentum. Each second is charged with anticipation!

Why does this matchup matter? The Fever aim to secure their playoff seeding, while the Mystics need a win and an Atlanta loss to receive a playoff spot. With the Indiana Fever fighting to escape the bottom of the standings and the Washington Mystics fighting for a playoff position, the stakes are high for both teams.

As Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell & Caitlin Clark and Washington’s Ariel Atkins & Aaliyah Edwards, all known for their leadership and clutch performances, continue to battle for supremacy, fans can expect an energetic game.

“We’re not just happy to be (in the playoffs),” incoming guard Caitlin Clark said. “We really feel like we can compete with every single team.” Clark’s impressive rookie season includes breaking records in each of the Fever’s last two games.

“We’ve got one more shot to represent ourselves and play the way that we have shown over the course of the year,” Mystic’s coach Thibault said to the Washington Post. “We’ve shown really good resilience over the course of the season, and we have a chance to show it one more time. … Everybody’s got to get out of their own heads a little bit.”

In the WNBA, the Mystics rank ninth in scoring with 79.0 points per game, while allowing 82.1 points per game. They are giving up 35.4 rebounds per game, placing ninth in the league, and have only 31.9 boards per game.

Washington ranks third in the WNBA with 21.5 assists per game. Their turnover rate is 15.1 per game, but they force 15.0 per game, second in the league.

Mystics are strong behind the arc, hitting 9.7 threes per game and shooting 36.6%.

Fever score 84.8 points per game offensively, but allow 87.5 points per game defensively. In both rebounds and rebounds given up, Indiana is fourth.

In assists, the Mystics are seventh, and in turnovers, they are ninth, forcing the fewest (11.6 per game). As for three-point shooting, the Fever rank fifth with 9.2 per game and fourth with 35.3%.

In this matchup between the Fever and Mystics, the result could determine how the teams end the season. Fans can expect an intense, strategic battle between these two teams, in which they will both give their all. One team is trying to strengthen its playoff chances, the other is looking to finish their season strongly.