Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Washington Mystics vs Atlanta Dream: A fight for the last playoff spot in the East
The Atlanta Dream are hosting the Washington Mystics in Gateway Center Arena on Friday.
Can the Mystics turn the season around?
The Washington Mystics are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with an 12-24 record, including 8-11 on the road. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and are coming off a 89-58 win against the Chicago Sky. They are ninth in the league averaging 79.6 points per game and shooting 43.5% from the field. Ariel Atkins leads the team with 14.8 points per game.
The gave of the season for the Dream
The Atlanta Dream are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 12-24 record, including 7-11 at home. They have lost 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 76-64 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. The Dream are at the bottom of the league scoring 77 points per game on 40.8% shooting from the field. Rhyne Howard leads the team with 17.9 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Mystics are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games played on Friday, 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games on the road, 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a losing record, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win, 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a win, 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games overall. Washington has played over the total point line in 5 of their last 6 games played on Friday and 5 of their last 7 games against teams from the Western Conference while they have played under in 5 of their last 7 games following a ATS win. The Dream are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss, 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games played on Friday, 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 home games and 9-4-2 ATS in their last 15 games overall. Atlanta has played under the total point line in their last 4 games against teams with a losing record, 4 of their last 5 games against teams from the Eastern Conference, 4 of their last 6 home games, 8 of their last 11 games played after a two-day rest and in 7 of their last 11 games overall.
Prediction and Conclusion
This is the first of the back-to-back games between the Mystics and the Dream, and the stakes are high since both teams have a chance to clinch the last playoff spot in the East. The Chicago Sky are still one game ahead, but with Angel Reese being out of the season, they will probably fail to finish fourth. The Mystics are currently in much better form than the Dream, and they won the last game in Atlanta by 19 points. The Dream are the favorites to win this one, but we go with the Mystics to cover the +3.5-point spread.
